Partying shots

Mumbaiites are taking their parties seriously. Reason: they want to have some serious fun and excitement. Role-playing is something that most party-lovers are fast adopting. They go the whole hog by picking up right costumes,hats,glasses,accessories and even make-up. For all these detailing,they don’t have to look far. Bandra,Andheri and Crawford Market have a number of shops that cater to this fad. Bandra has the distinction of having most number of such stores,like Al’s Tattoo Studio,Sparkles and a brand new Party Hunterz.

The just-concluded festival season,Diwali and Halloween,saw hectic shopping at these stores. But there is not a dull moment for them with parties becoming a regular occurrence. AJ Alva of Al’s Studio says,“People in Mumbai love to have fun. They are always happy to find to a reason to party.” Sharon M Timmins,owner of Party Hunterz,Pali Naka,has filled her store with colourful wigs,scary masks,props,games and even cutlery that will ensure spook in the air.

“We also have articles to set up casino,sport,Hawaiian,hippy,rock ‘n’ roll,disco,bachelorette and other fun theme parties,” says Timmins. While she offers more choices for family parties,Al’s Studio can be an ally in party-goers’ naughty plans and pranks. The latter also has lots of choices when it comes to zany gifts.

With party-goers becoming very particular about details,she hopes there will be many takers for the props and costumes she has imported from the US,the UK and China.

Janit Gambhir is a stickler when it comes to costumes. This aspiring filmmaker painstakingly puts together his appearance—always remaining true to the theme. He confesses: “The fun is in role-playing and paying attention to every detail excites me.” He once landed at a party with ‘kink’ as its theme,dressed as an Oscar-winning porn filmmaker—wearing shocking pink tight pants and holding a fake Oscar statuette. His best party appearance was as a cross-dresser who belly-danced to the hooting of fellow fun-lovers. “I wore a shiny thong under boxers and chose harem pants as my party costume. All my accessories,including glasses,gelled with the theme.”

Gambhir and his friends often shop in Bandra. But when they need something bling and colourful they head to Andheri. “Funky Boys in City Mall has lots of bright and flashy costumes and accessories,” says Manav Prasad.

Theme parties mean serious business too,and not just for the stores. Vikram Sood is a visual jockey who runs a company called And Then. He designs party themes for his corporate clients as well as clubs. “We present a party concept to clubs. After getting their approval,we start working on creating that setting with visual graphics,music and props.” They often create their own props or source them from different stores in Bandra,Crawford Market and Chor Bazaar. “We very carefully pick up materials that add to the feel and look of an event,” says Meera Adhia,a partner at And Then who is also in charge of styling.

Looks like Mumbai’s famous spirit soars a notch higher when it comes to partying.