It’s still party time!

It’s been a wary week for Mumbai’s nightlife. With schools and theatres closed, most people prefered to stay home. Though the night still has life, footfalls have diminished.

Riyaaz Amlani, who had to call off a 70s music night at Mocha Mojo in Bandra last week, says revenues are down by around 20 percent. Vicky Ratnani of Juhu nightspot Aurus reports a 10 percent slump while Dilip Joshi of the 10,000 sq feet nightclub Poison puts the figure at 20 per cent. “I really hope things don’t worsen. Weekends are a major revenue draw for us,” said Joshi.

Some establishments, however, are playing it really safe. Rishi Acharya, who runs Oba lounge and grill, says he had no option but  to place a ‘closed for renovation’ sign to turn guests away for a few days.

But surprisingly, unlike Pune, Mumbai’s party hearties are just not willing to allow the flu scare to cramp their style.

Jay Singh, partner in Hard Rock Café, divulges that while the company’s Pune  establishment has seen “a dramatic drop in footfalls,” in Mumbai the status is  “so far still a packed house,” he says.

“Look, I’m not going to stop eating out,” declares foodie Kunal Vijaykar vehemently. “Of course I will be selective about choosing the right restaurants – those with higher ceilings and larger areas, no air-conditioning, and maybe I wouldn’t go to a nightclub,” he adds as an afterthought. 

Sabina Chopra, wife of Lakme head honcho Anil Chopra echoes the sentiment.  “The swine flu hasn’t changed the way I live. Why should we stop going out?” So what’s the consensus? Be wise, not wary. While Mandira Bedi feels that nightclubs “are a no-no”, young actor Shazahn Padamsee has an alternate strategy. “There’s nothing  like a good potluck dinner. My friends and I will be it doing this weekend,” she smiles.