Pune Event Listings

Check out the events happening all over Pune & select the ones that suit your mood

FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE WITH EMPTY CAFÉ 

@ BOTTLEROCK - RESTRO & LOUNGE

Get to hear the band Empty Café – fusion of two cultures & genres of music. It includes Gandhaar Amin on Indian bamboo flute & vocals and Vinay Kaushal on guitars & vocals. Striving to create a new image for ‘fusion music’, catch the talented band at Bottlerock - Restro & Lounge for Friday Night Live. 

WHERE: Bottlerock - Restro & Lounge, Sus-Pashan Road 

WHEN: Friday, 11th September, 2015 

TIMING: Gates Open : 7:00 PM 

FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT: 9860512714 

EXQUISITE GANESHA IDOLS & SCULPTURES 

@ SATGURU’S ART GALLERY, PUNE 

Witness an exhibition of traditional & modern fusion of artwork only at Satguru’s. Catch an exhibition of Ganesh Idols & Sculptures. Some impeccable exhibited work include Sanket Mochan throne Ganesha made out of brass & precious stones, Moon Ganesha Collection and the Signature Collection Ganesha.   

WHERE: Satguru’s Art Gallery, 362 Satguru Center , Bund Garden Road 

WHEN: Till September 16, 2015

MEXICAN DELIGHTS 

@ COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT PUNE CHAKAN

Go all Mexican with delights from the land of tequila at Courtyard by Marriott Pune City Chakan. Treat your taste buds to the flavours of authentic Mexican cuisine. Try delicacies like tacos, cornbread, burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, nachos and salsa and more, along with some delicious margaritas.

WHERE: MoMo Cafe, Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan

WHEN: Till September 11, 2015

PRICE: INR 850+taxes

CONTACT: 9923753744

SIZZLERS AT BEST BREWS 

BY FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON PUNE

Go ahead & relish a week of sizzling platters at Best Brews by Four Points by Sheraton Pune. Enjoy sizzlers with great ambience, along with selection of local & international beers. Sample delicious sizzlers like Chicken, Tenderloin, Seafood plus, Cottage Cheese, Shashlik & Veg Medallion with varied sauces. This is coupled with unlimited entertainment! 

WHEN: Till September 12

WHERE: Best Brews, Four Points by Sheraton, Pune

TIMING: From 8 PM onwards

FOR RESERVATIONS, CONTACT: 7066846813, 7709006688

BALALAIKA & FUZE LIVE BANDS

 @ PHOENIX MARKETCITY PUNE

Set your weekend to enjoyment mode with live band performance at Phoenix Marketcity Pune. Groove to popular music numbers of all genres with Balalaika - The Metal Core Band and FUZE. BALALAIKA is an experimental Hindi rock band, while Fuze form a beautiful mélange of music on similar note. 

WHERE: East Court, Phoenix Marketcity (Pune), Nagar Road

WHEN: Balalaika - The Metal Core Band – September 12, 2015

              Fuze – September 13, 205

TIMING: 6 PM Onwards 

EXCITING SOFA CARNIVAL BY FURNITECH 

@ HOUSL!FE AT ISHANYA

Be ready to go for a unique sofa carnival at Housl!fe at Ishanya. It displays 100+ sofa designs and

400+ fabric variety. The main attraction will be sofas & recliner collection from designer brands. Also, get the exclusive opportunity to consult team of experts on sofa & fabric aspects.

WHERE: Arcade 3, housl!fe, Ishanya, Opp. Golf Course, Off Airport Road, Yerwada

WHEN: September 12-26, 2015

TIMING: 11 AM onwards

CONTACT: 40004001

B ME!! (BEAUTIFUL ME) - BEAUTY FESTIVAL 

@ PHOENIX MARKETCITY

Phoenix Marketcity Pune organizes a unique sculpture exhibition – a beauty fest titled B Me!! (Beautiful ME) that displays people’s eternal craving to look beautiful. Check out sculptures by artist Loknath Sinha and one by Artist Rai David. 

WHERE: Phoenix Marketcity (Pune), Nagar Road, Vimannagar

WHEN: Friday to Sunday – till 13th September, 2015

TIMING: 11.30 AM – 10 PM 

SPORTS SCREENING 

AT BEST BREWS BY FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON PUNE

 Catch up with friends over international beers & special cocktails. Head this September & October to enjoy major sporting events screened at the Best Brews Lounge Bar, Four Points by Sheraton Pune. Relish promotional drinks like Smoked Cocktails, Herb Infused Cocktails, Hot Cocktails, International Flavored Beer, etc!

TIMELINE & PRICING

·         Common Wealth Games (Samoa)

DATE: September 5-12, 2015

PROMOTION: Smoked Cocktails

PRICE: Rs. 399 

·         Rugby (England)

DATE: September 18-October 31, 2015

PROMOTION: Herb Infused Cocktails

PRICE: Rs. 499 

·         Cycling (Road Championship, USA)

DATE: September 19-27

PROMOTION: Hot Cocktails

PRICE: Rs. 699 

·         Australian Football League (Grand Finals, Australia)

DATE: October 3, 2015

PROMOTION: Whisky Sour Week

PRICE: Rs. 399 

·         6^th CISM Summer Military World games (South Korea)

DATE: October 1-11, 2015  

PROMOTION: International Flavored Beer

PRICE: Rs. 499 

·         Gymnastics World Championship (Artistic, UK)

DATE: October 23-November 1, 2015

PROMOTION: Flavored Daiquiri Week

PRICE: Rs. 499 

CONTACT: 7709006688, 7066846813

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Something Veg & Interesting!

Check the special vegetarian fare at Kangan, the all Indian and quite impressive restaurant of The Westin Pune Koregaon Park

Some places make you want to visit it with pleasure... always. If it’s food, then the pleasure gets an extra sumptuous touch. Kangan, the Indian restaurant at The Westin Koregaon Park Pune, is the place one wants to be and have delicious Indian food. And a few weeks back, it has done an interesting jump by introducing a vegetarian special to already popular menu. And it was just to experience some vegetarian delights that I went to taste it one charming evening with a good friend for company.

Though much has been written about the ambience of the restaurant, I wish to throw some light on it.
Low lights enough to see the appetising meals and comfortable sitting makes you want to relax. Not to large not to small... it is the perfect size and you are not privy to other people’s conversations. Service too is apt considering the kind of restaurant and hotel Kangan & The Westin is respectively. Polite and attentive are the two adjectives apt for their work.

Our main focus is the food which turned out to be quite an interesting spread. The vegetarian spread was the highlight here. One of the first things to greet us was the Bitter Gourd Chips with Fig Chutney Relish. Bitter Gourd or Karela has to be one of the misunderstood vegetables but courtesy the chef, it turned out to be quite a treat. The crisp coating of a bhaji went well with the Karela slices which had its bitterness toned down. Of course, the tangy fig chutney completely made it a must eat.

The other rather interesting item on the menu had to be the Tandoori Artichoke. Yes, you heard it right! Tandoori marinade applied to this phoren vegetable is an acquired taste. You might like it or you will just pass it. Either way, you might want to just try it just once. 

I loved the soft Masala Garlic Naan which just well went on its own or with your main course. Even the other varities offered from the regular menu became winners. It was quite disappointing to find the Arbi Ke Tukde served with Saunth Relish and Sabj Tarkash Ke Seeth to be just about okay in taste. Paneer lovers might find the Nazboo Paneer Lababdar to be quite decently tempting. Paneer in special masala (not too much thankfully) gets your attention.

The winner of the veg fare has to be Kangan’s prized Dal Makhni which is a well-cooked kali dal in cream. The outcome is a delicate dal which melts in your mouth to leave a light creamy taste like no other. Do end the meal with the lip-smacking Gulab Patte Ki Kheer which literally is kheer with gulkand flavour in it. But it is delicately sweet which might appease even the most finicky sweet enthusiast.

The exclusive and innovative vegetarian offers are limited but not something which should be

avoided. I have mentioned just a few names from the list. The overwhelming chances of your liking it are higher. Plus, you can mix it with the regular ala carte menu offered at the restaurant. Going to Kangan, the all Indian restaurant at The Westin Pune Koregaon Park, would be quite an option to be differently vegetarian.

Photos: Sapna Sarfare

Play Review: One on One 2

Watching Rage Production’s One on One 2 is like watching 9 different lives & realistic moments squeezed in one play. The play is a winner. 

Neil Bhoopalam

I went with misgivings and came out with a smile & potfull of memories. Spending an evening watching 9 monologues was not something I counted for. But I was so wrong. Rage Productions came up with One on One 2, after the first part. The format is simple – different realistic situations narrated via monologues. I was much relived to see some good writing and acting. You see actors Rajit Kapur, Sumeet Vyas, Anu Menon, Vrajesh Hirjee, Hussain Dalal, Neil Bhoopalam, Shikha Talsania, Gopal Datt and Zafar Karachiwala play characters, while Rajit Kapur, Rahul DaCunha, Nadir Khan, Sumeet Vyas, Ashish Jagtiani, Akarsh Khurana, Ayesha Menon, Faezeh Jalali and Hussain Dalal. 

The plots are simple but leave a mark. Anu Menon gives a small peek into the life of a mother

Anu Menon

stressing with her children and domestic life.  Vrajesh Hirjee is a NRI Gujju from USA explaining his unusual bride finding journey in the plane. Rajit Kapur attends his physiotherapist’s funeral that has died in the Nepal avalanche and the arduous journey to get his body amidst red-tapism. Zafar Karachiwala plays a Sindhi real estate agent hit on hard times, but still raring to go. Gopal Datt as TC speaks about being a newbie TC in Indian Railways. Hussain Dalal & Sumeet Vyas are two soldiers on the Kashmir border speaking of the fruitlessness of war. Meet Neil Bhoopalam aka DJ Elvis who is attempting to make a name for himself, while Shikha Talsania is a bride who gets jitters on her marriage day. The finale has first-time producer Sumeet Vyas speak about the world of Bollywood.

It takes daring to create a real world on stage in pieces and let us see this world with a touch of poignancy and lot of humour. Full marks go to the writers who make you smile, smirk, tickle, silent and think at the same time. The language is mostly English with Gopal Datt’s piece in Hindi. The humour is both urbane, Indian and real. When the bride starts panicking, you are both laughing at the humorous chatter and connect with her. The directors make sure the writer’s world reaches you. The light & set design allows the free flow of the actors to portray the characters and tell the story.

Rajit Kapoor

The best part of One on One 2 has to be the actors. It is indeed tough to converse with the audience and act naturally as if you are the character. When Anu Menon runs around trying to handle things, you feel she is that mother. Rajit Kapur becomes the mourner who sees the pain. While Zafar Karachiwala falters a bit to create humour, the serious side does come out well. Vrajesh Hirjee & Gopal Datt are the winners when they play the young Gujju from US of A; TC respectively. Hussain Dalal & Sumeet Vyas as the soldiers caught in conflict are serenely superb; so is Shikha Talsania as a commitment phobic bride. In fact, she is another scene-stealer with her superb command over humour & character. Neil Bhoopalam is quite decent, but feel he is let down by mediocre writing. Sumeet Vyas brings out the producer’s crazy life with aplomb.

It is a pity that English or semi-Hinglish plays like these seem to be elitist. The concept, story, characters here are very much Indian and real. Rage Production’s One on One 2 is a must watch, if you want to laugh, smile, think about the situations around us. Try seeing it just once. Regret is not the word you will attach to this play after watching it.