"We're going to Mira Road for a bit of clubbing." Most Mumbaikars never thought they'd live to hear anyone say this.
Far-flung suburbs and satellite towns are strapping on their dancing shoes
"We're going to Mira Road for a bit of clubbing." Most Mumbaikars never thought they'd live to hear anyone say this. But the city's nightlife scene is changing rapidly, as clubs are springing up in the distant suburbs, faster than the blink of an eye.
Less than 15 years ago, our nightlife was restricted to South Mumbai, with a few famous watering holes in Bandra and Juhu. Later, areas like Andheri and Versova followed suit. Now, lesser-known neighbourhoods — that many a Mumbaikar living in the southern and central parts of the city hasn't even visited — have put on their dance shoes. Suburbs and satellite towns like Mulund, Nerul, Mira Road, Malad and even Vasai, are catering to a new ilk of Mumbaikars who don't want to drive for hours on traffic-ridden roads just to party.
Devina Agasty, a 22-year-old travel and tourism executive, is one among the many Mulund residents who is spared the trouble of driving to Bandra or South Mumbai every time she feels like letting her hair down. And for this, she thanks Zero Degrees, a nightclub in Mulund. "After a hard day's work, partying is a stress buster for me. Now I can just hop from my place to Zero, and have some fun," she says.
Jinesh Sanghvi, head of marketing, Zero Degrees, says, "People here also need to party, and we started Zero to cater to them."
Given the stringent enforcement of anti-drink driving laws, most revellers are more than happy to party in their neighbourhood.
Another place that's reinventing itself as the yuppie's neighbourhood is Malad. It's grown not only into a residential hub, but a centre for many corporate houses. And this was reason enough for many entrepreneurs to start lounges and nightclubs. The dance floors of these clubs are spacious; patrons don't feel that they are packed in a Virar local.
The sprawling 4,500 sq foot Shimmer Lounge and Kitchen is one such night spot that aims to give clients the experience of a lounge-cum-club. The director, Pramod Shinde, says, "It was sad that despite Malad evolving into a corporate hub and a good township, there were not many options for a night life. Shimmer gives them that option."
The well-planned township, Navi Mumbai is also dancing to this new tune. Their "happening" spot is Nerul, with the club, Ice n Spicy. "There is a lot of potential here, and we are tapping that market," says Ashish Shirke, the club's managing director.
Shahul Kadar, the event manager says that themed nights like "techno nights" are very popular.
In Mira Road, there's Raw, that caters to party-goers living beyond Malad. Raw opened last year, to cash in on New Year celebrations, and there's been no looking back since then. Deepak Sharma, one of three partners, says, "We tried to do something different; Raw is the outcome."
Today, when people prefer clubs to family restaurants, when drinking is no longer seen as a vice, and partying is just one of the many ways to destress, the emergence of nightclubs in the suburbs has been welcomed with open arms.
h_ansari@dnaindia.net
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