Your next quiz could be at a bar: Chennai pub quizzes get popular

To the dulcet strains of ‘Ala Pol Vela Pol’ from the 1993 movie Yajaman, I stroll into Sin & Tonic in T Nagar the place I’m greeted by waiters wearing khaki and checked shirts, sun shades, and scarves — a very apparent celebration of Rajinikanth from the movie Baasha.

The crowd trickles in to a playlist of Rajinikanth movie songs, and a specifically curated Thalaivar cocktail and appetiser menu. Abhishek Bharathkumar is about to start the Rajinimania Quiz Night.

Chennai’s pubs are the place many within the metropolis interact in some spirited aggressive banter and revel within the heat of a trivia neighborhood, whereas successful a prize or two. Over the final couple of years, the burgeoning pub quizzing scene has been welcoming consultants and amateurs alike for quiz nights.

“Two-hundred and twenty people signed up for my Rajinikanth Quiz and we had 228 for the AR Rahman one. It was the biggest I’d hosted,” says Abhishek who began out conducting quizzes on Instagram through the pandemic, and moved on to internet hosting a non-public quiz at Black Orchid each second Sunday.

His themed quizzes in Sin & Tonic during the last yr have had a loyal participant base, with scope for an occasional movie star sighting. Cricketer R Ashwin was a participant at his Madras quiz.

Actor Lakshmipriyaa Chandramouli, who has participated in Abhishek’s Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, AR Rahman, and Friends quizzes says pop-culture centric themes are a huge draw. “They are a perfect mix of fun and heady nostalgia. Kollywood-themed nights are so rare in the city’s night scene and most of these quizzes involve Tamil music and dance,” she says.

Waiters and bartenders dressed as Baasha at the themed pub quiz
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VELANKANNI RAJ B

Lakshmipriyaa is fast so as to add that the quiz nights are additionally enjoyable events to stumble upon many individuals, one thing that slapstick comedian and marketer Guru Nicketan says provides to the attraction. “I have a regular team I participate with, and have made several new friends. I love the dopamine hit that comes with getting a question right,” he says.

Typically with 5 to 6 rounds, Abhishek’s quizzes have no more than 60 questions, and happen over 90 minutes.

Friends and banter

The attraction of getting collectively together with your common quiz staff, and assembly new individuals alongside the best way is certainly a huge draw — one thing Arjun Mohan particularly attests to. Arjun, who has been internet hosting quizzes at Watson’s, Velveteen Rabbit, and Purple Chameleon says that in 2019, it was at a pub quiz that he first met his spouse.

“Post the pandemic, we’ve been seeing more of the younger crowd coming out to participate in these quizzing nights, in addition to those who were once quizzers. The number of neighbourhood pubs in Chennai have increased, and there are so many more options,” he explains.

Each venue in Chennai, Arjun says, has a totally different vibe. “My general quizzes are tailored to these audiences, and every week is different. I like to engage with the participants, and give them a shot or two when they willingly participate in the banter,” he laughs. In March this yr, Arjun will be internet hosting a magnum opus quiz of types — to rejoice six years of working the pub quiz at Watson’s in Chennai.

Arjun Mohan at Velveteen Rabbit
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Special Arrangement

With males having dominated the quizzing house for years now, the Chennai demographic appears to have a wholesome steadiness of genders. A daily at Arjun’s quizzes, writer-actor Sukanya Umesh says there are a lot extra ladies now, and that the ambiance has at all times been welcoming.

The quizmasters and the groups prioritise on preserving the ambiance enjoyable. “A good 40% of the crowd that comes in are regulars, and 60% is new every edition. We observed that themes focussed on entertainment worked more in terms of audience engagement and participation,” says Mridula Vinod of Strikr Integrated, a artistic company working with Sin & Tonic. Mridula and her accomplice Lekhamitra say that selecting the correct theme, and having it trickle right down to their creatives, the menu and the atmosphere has a big position to play in setting these quizzes other than the others within the metropolis.

A quiz in progress at Velveteen Rabbit
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Special Arrangement

Prizes galore

There are reward vouchers, sponsored journey coupons, and even bottles of imported liquor to be gained along with photographs and shooters on the home.

For the youthful millennials who’ve lived in Chennai for over a decade, the Madras Pub Quiz from again in 2014-15 at Hotel Savera’s Bay 146 was the earliest introduction to a pub quiz, full with a grand prize of a vodka cocktail pitcher served inside a massive, hollowed out watermelon.

“Back then, many people came because it was a completely new concept. However, it is now a trend, and has become an expectation we have from most pubs in the city,” says Abishek Swaminathan, an avid quizzer who used to co-host the Madras Pub Quiz. Last yr, Abhishek hosted a trivia evening at a popular bar within the metropolis, and likewise held a New Year’s eve particular quiz themed on movies, at the Westin.

“The biggest plus here is that you don’t have to have a background or experience in quizzing,” he says, including, “If you are looking to dip your toes into quizzing, the chilled out and accommodating pub quizzes are a great place to start.”