Trivia and comedy: New elements to Pune's nightlife

Move over DJs and band gigs! Pune nightlife gets a makeover as fun quizzes and standup comedy are becoming the new favourites in pubs and nightclubs. Suitable for people of all ages, the quizzes and comic acts hosted by these venues have become very popular as a trend.

Suketu Talekar, the co-founder of Doolally, has nothing but praises for the new trend. Calling it a wave that is here to stay, Talekar feels that the quiz competitions are enjoyed by every age group.

"When we kickstarted our weekly Pub Quizzes at the Brewhouse, little did we know that it would not only attract but create a community of quizzers. And these quizzers range from our regular beer drinkers to hardcore quizzers and everything in between. While we do have a bunch whole bunch of people who come back every single week, the number of takers for the contest keep on growing! And in my opinion, the customers don't come back for the beer and food vouchers but for the questions. And if you focus on the experience of the quiz - the questions, the quizmasters, the opportunity for each table to take a shot at an answer, the community automatically grows and enjoys these little brain teasers," Talekar further informs.

City based quizmaster and host BV Harish says, "People visiting pubs are loving these quiz competitions. As compared to a musical gig, the quizzes are more interactive and give quality engagement. Which is why, there are people who chose to visit the pub particularly on a quiz day. They like the concept that not only entertains them but also keep them updated with current topics. We often make our quizzes on current issues like elections, FIFA, Oscar awards, among other topics."

It is not just the trivia questions that are making pubs around the city popular. Stand up comedians are also finding their space in the city based night clubs.

Daniel Fernandes is a regular performer at pubs like High Spirits with his stand-up comic acts. He enjoys performing in the city and feels that the city crowd is evolving with their taste and likes to experiment with their dose of entertainment.

"A comedy act that is based on topics such as politics, cricket and music along with impromptu acts are loved by the audience here. And the good sign, is that the male-female ratio in the audience is 50-50% which is quite encouraging for us. Though musical gigs are still a crowd puller, comedy and other acts are also picking up as a trend in Pune," Fernandes points out.