Roads bear deserted look as cricket fever grips Mumbaikars

At Cinemax Multiplex in Sion,three of its five screens telecast the match,with a total of 730 seats. Bookings started three days in advance,said operations manager Rakesh Sharma. Tickets were being sold for Rs 400 each,while some tried to make a quick buck by buying a bulk of the tickets and selling them in black for a little over Rs 400.

The scene was similar at PVR Adlabs where crowds were shelling out Rs 500 for a seat to watch the match on the big screen. A few,like Mayur Patel,were lucky to have been gifted free tickets by his employer. “The multiplex feeling is close to what one would feel in a stadium,” said the 40-year-old distributor with a mutual fund house.

In South Mumbai’s plush ‘Red Light’ club,that opened in the afternoon,the mood was electric. “Typically we open the place only after 7 pm. Today,we have set up two big screens and smaller TVs,” said manager Chandan Kaul. For 29-year-old Priya Arya,who works in a travel agency,coming to this club has been a ritual since college.

At South Mumbai’s popular Cafe Mondegar,35-year-old housewife Tanuja Zhaveri was enjoying her break from the daily chores along with a couple of friends. “Even though they are charging Rs 2,000 per head today,I don’t mind it,” she said. At Sportsbar in Colaba,one could barely stand as the crowds kept pouring in. “There is no place to move,the bar is filled to its capacity,but the mood is exciting,” said Paresh Nankani,a service professional,who came from Hyderabad to watch the match with his friends.

Then there were some like Keyur Shah who opted to view the match with his neighbours and family at a screening organised at Girnar Housing Society in Tardeo where a projector was set up.