The Bollywood beat gets Asians rocking in the nightclub circuit while underground music and bhangra take a back seat

By Nivek Oger

India Today Magazine

It was a cold, wet evening in London. But that was not enough to dampen the enthusiasm of scores of Asian youth as they waited in a serpentine queue to enter the Empire Lounge, a trendy nightclub at Leicester Square. Many of those in line were in their mid-20s and came dressed in desi outfits and overcoats while a few of the more adventurous chose to flaunt desi in winter attire, defying the chill of winter.

What, you would wonder, could induce these youngsters to contend with such harsh conditions to gain entry to a nightclub? No, it is not the bhangra beat that draws them, nor is it Asian underground music any longer. An usher from Empire Lounge dashes out into the milling crowd to distribute flyers that explain what the rush is all about: “K3G the night. It’s all about loving your music.” The allusion is clear — this is the Bollywood night.

With tunes from the world of Bollywood fast gaining popularity in Asian clubs in Britain, and quite an extent replacing other music there, it is little surprise that inside the atmosphere is like one big Indian wedding party. The crowd sways and jives into the wee hours of the night as the DJs play one Hindi film track after another, often mixing them with hits from the latest movies such as Kaante or the older hit Chalte Chalte.

“Bollywood music is very much in demand at all Asian nightclubs these days,” says Raj Gandhi, DJ at “K3G the night.” And so heavy is the rush that the tickets, priced at £10 each, are driven to £15 on demand. That is a price dearer than in most nightclubs of London.

The mood is similar at Bar Bollywood — an Asian nightclub one would be fortunate to get in on weekends. Set in a basement below an Indian restaurant in upmarket Mayfair, this cosy club opened about two years ago, well before Bollywood mania caught on. Now, it is among the choicest hot spots for Hindi music lovers who want to shake a leg.

The ambience of the club sets the tone. Giant posters of current superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan adorn the walls while ethnically upholstered sofas resemble a Hindi film set. But it is the hip shaking, pelvic thrusting, disco ball and pounding music that take centre stage.

“Some like hip hop, like Jay-Z and Kanye West. But old classics such as Disco Dancer and Dhoom 2 are guaranteed to get the crowd onto the mood,” he adds.

For Sunil Raju, a doctor in his early 20s, such do’s are welcome. “These Bollywood nights really provide the perfect alternative to the other clubs I used to frequent,” he says. “It’s a different tempo, with a more fun and vibrant crowd. It has grown in popularity.”

Raj’s partner adds, “The rise of desi clubs is proof that it has become bigger and stronger in the UK. It really shows how the new generation is reconnecting with Bollywood.”

But the Bollywood boom is not restricted to London alone. At Manchester’s Swallow Club, it is music from tinseltown on Monday nights and clubbers are encouraged to wear traditional outfits. Birmingham’s Medicine Club, known for its underground music, too has launched “Bollywood Music” — again more Indian film music.

Part of the reason for the change in attitude by bar owners is the nature of the crowd — Asian underground fans are largely unemployed, while the Bollywood crowd is largely white collar.

Listening to the same tunes with different lyrics over and over again, explains Gandhi.

Two people who are lapping it all up are Raj Dhanda and Pablo Sait-Ram, who go by the name “Raj and Pablo”. The brains behind the “Dhak Dhak” that rocked Selfridges, the department store in Oxford Street which held a unique Bollywood sale, they now have their own Bollywood Nights at Cobden Club in Ladbroke Grove, London, attracting many Asian celebrities to what they call “an opulent extravaganza of Bollywood glam”.

The two of them also released a compilation album called Bollywood Nights earlier this summer and are on the verge of another new one to establish their presence in this growing market.

But they are not the only ones cashing in on this new phenomenon. Some local Indian restaurants in London have also joined the bandwagon by including Bollywood songs along with Asian DJs as a special add-on to their fixed menu as they attempt to lure corporate houses to celebrate their Christmas party in an exotic atmosphere.

Even Bollywood theme parties are on the rise. Says Harini, “Earlier this year, we organised the British Film Institute’s (BFI) Imagine Asia launch party at Hanover Grand (another nightclub in London) which was a huge success.” Event management companies are also influenced by this new trend. At a party hosted after the premiere of the film The Guru, some of the English guests present were swaying to numbers like Shava Shava played by the Kuch Kuch Nigh’s DJs.

So will the popularity of Bollywood music be able to get the desi crowd in the UK grooving again in the coming year or will it fade away? “I don’t see why not. Music has no barriers, and tunes from Hindi films are now on the international charts,” says Pablo. “If anything, I think in the years to come, Bollywood music is going to get even more popular,” he adds.

The years ahead are another matter. But the coming festive season of Christmas and New Year promises to have the Asian community, and others as well, rocking to some lively Bollywood numbers from back home.