Gurgaon wants only Bolly music for New Year

For Gurgaonwallahs, nothing rings in the New Year better than Bollywood masala and a Punjabi tadka to the DJs’ playlist. The public demand for desi songs is so high on New Year’s Eve that most clubs and pubs, which otherwise play different genres of music the rest of the year, will have a Bollywood playlist for that one night. We spoke to the party joints in the city to know why Bollywood rules the night on December 31.
BOLLYWOOD AND NEW YEAR GO HAND IN HAND
Calvin Harris and Martin Garrix can wait – Gurgaon would rather dance to Tera Bina Kick Mujhe Milti Nahi on New Year’s Eve. And Gurgaon clubs say that it’s not just a certain kind of customer base that demands Bollywood on New Year’s – everybody wants it. According to them, the reason behind this is that most Indian revellers associate party time with Bollywood music. It plays in our weddings, in our private parties and on our festivals. Lucky Yadav, of Brewer Street, tells us, “In India, party means Bollywood and Punjabi music, and New Year’s Eve is one big party where everybody wants to let their hair down. People don’t club hop on this night and thus, you want everybody in the house happy. We usually play Retro, Rock ’n Roll, House and EDM, but on New Year’s we have to play Bollywood.”
The clubs tell us that patrons always call the clubs to enquire if Bollywood is on the playlist. Anirban Dasgupta, manager of Ikandy, tells us, “We play Techno, House, Trance and EDM – never Bollywood. However, New Year’s is a different ball game all together. On New Year’s, people want to drink more, party more and dance more. We have a lot of phone calls coming in, asking about Bollywood music playlist, and that is how we get to know about the demand. We need to keep everyone happy, so on New Year’s, our playlist will consist of one Bollywood track for every ten EDM ones.We have done huge revenue events with EDM, but Bollywood and New Year celebrations go hand in in hand.”
Adds Saurabh Khetan, CEO of Abbey Road, “Our music is dedicated to Beatles. On a regular business day when the customer demands Bollywood or any other kind of music, we don’t comply. However, on New Year’s, we have opted for a mixed playlist that will constitute of commercial English and Bollywood numbers. Students still don’t mind English music, but on New Year’s, everybody else wants to party like crazy and you have to keep the customers happy.”
STIFF COMPETITION
As most customers call the clubs and enquire about the music being played before actually dropping by, not playing Bollywood can be a business loss.
Viju Raj, consulting partner of Bootleggers Republic, tells us, “Of course, our New Year’s Eve playlist will be primarily Bollywood because of public demand. Not playing Bollywood can result in significant loss of business, which we don’t want to have on such a competitive night. The Gurgaon crowd we get consists mostly of corporate professionals and they demand Bollywood when they are in the mood to party.” Adding to this, Sandeep Pundir of Manhattan Craft and Brewery, says, “We don’t generally play Bollywood. However, on New Year’s, there is stiff competition and the places that play Bollywood music are bound to get more of a crowd.”
While most clubs are going for Bollywood, there are a very few that are being true to their genre despite the loss. One such place is Raasta in Cyber Hub. Joy Singh, owner of Raasta, tells us, “We won’t play Bollywood on New Year’s and it will result in a loss of 5%-7%. This loss is short term and the percentage is very small. We will still get our regulars who specially come for the kind of music we play. One night of business loss is not enough for us to lose our credibility.”
Bollywood is the ultimate dance music
“For me, Swedish House Mafia’s Don’t You Worry Child is a way better song than Party All Night, but if I have to drink and dance to a song, I’ll do it to the latter,” says Mysha Kapoor, who lives on Sohna Road. Just like Mysha, other Gurgaonwallahs also believe Bollywood is the ultimate crazy dance music.
Kanwar Singh, who lives in Sushant Lok, says, “ What’s a party without a few crazy Bollywood numbers? EDM is okay to play in the car, but when I want to party, I want Bollywood dance numbers.” Adds Sania Khan, who lives in sector 50, “We pretend the entire year in front of our friends that we don’t like a certain Yo Yo artiste, but New Year’s is the time to just have pure, unadulterated, crazy fun, without any pretentions.”