‘DJ’ Ashmit Patel played staid songs in Vashi. No refunds were demanded
It was like listening to someone’s ‘top party hits’ playlist
It was like listening to someone’s ‘top party hits’ playlist
“Please welcome the Bollywood superstar…”, a lady announces off the DJ’s platform.
I turn around to look at the entrance. Surely, someone new has just walked in. Surely, she doesn’t mean Ashmit Patel, standing there on the stage in cap, a fitted T-shirt, and a grin pasted under a fake-looking moustache.
Turns out she does. Yes, it’s Vashi. And we understand that the Khans and Kapoors only stick to Bandra and Andheri. But even then, hyperbole must have its limits.
It’s 11.30pm. And Patel, far-flung Vashi’s version of a bona fide superstar, is fashionably late.
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Earlier this week, when posters of “DJ” Ashmit Patel’s “Great Bollywood Night” went online, Twitter decided to have some fun.
Bobby Deol’s foiled attempt behind the console in Delhi in July did Patel no favours. And Twitter quickly drew parallels about insipid acting careers and alternate career choices.
READ MORE: DJ Bobby Deol plays Gupt songs at a Delhi club, guests demand refund
Out of curiosity, we decided to call Patel. His interview to us – to sum up in a line – was to this effect: I’m famous. Everyone trolling me is not. “I feel pity for them.”
READ MORE: Ashmit Patel to Twitter trolls: I’ve been a DJ since 2015
He added he’s been doing this since 2015, and has played in Dubai, and at Hard Rock Café, Sydney. And, that fans “clamour for selfies” wherever he plays (Not entirely untrue, we’ll learn).
Such was his confidence, we decided to check it out. Quick takeaway: He didn’t scoot halfway. People did not ask for refunds. But the music… Well, that remained suspect.
9pm: That’s the time mentioned on the poster. “Come on time, or you won’t get a place to sit,” the PR had warned us in advance.
10pm: 9 means 10. We know that. Mojo’s Bistro stands on the rooftop of a business complex bang opposite Vashi Exhibition Centre. We can hear music from the entrance. We wonder if we were wrong about Mr Patel’s punctuality, and if indeed we’d climb up to find him already labouring away on a console.
10.10pm: Yes, it took us 10 minutes to figure out the fancy elevator (no numbered buttons), make our way past a sweaty, all-men corporate night out to the open area. The in-house DJ is at the console. “Where’s Ashmit?” “He’ll be here at 10.30”. OK, that means 11.
11pm: Patel enters with a bit of an entourage. He’s in a cap and a fitted T-shirt. His girlfriend-apparent, Mahek Chahal is in a white dress and matching beanie.
He settles down on a lounge sofa, gets a drink, and some fans (we assume) fish out cellphones to click photos. He steps up eagerly and walks around to let people click selfies. Not quite “clamour”, but you can’t fault him for saying people ask for photos.
11.20pm: After hanging around for a bit, Patel leaves the outdoor area. A tour of the place is our best guess. He returns soon enough. Surely, about time he starts playing. Instead, he’s back at the sofa with a drink and a plate of food.
11.30pm: Our good hyperbolic lady announces the “superstar”, Patel takes the mic, even as his partner, Drumboodha (Canadian percussionist, music producer, and the man who’ll salvage the music) positions himself on a low seat. He says hello, says it’s “fucking great to be here”, and asks people to get their “asses” on the floor.
Then, in a very meta move, he says “abhi toh party shuru hui hai” and plays that very song.
Drumboodha is, you must admit, quite novel. For, we haven’t heard live percussion with a DJ. And he’s pretty good.
As for Patel, he plays one predictable song after another. Nachangi Saari Raat is next. Then, Kaala Chashma, Baby ko Bass, Dope Shope and DJ Wale Babu. We get it. It is a Bollywood night, after all. However, Patel pretty much plays all songs to the end off his Macbook.
It was like going to a stay-over at a friend’s place, and listening to his playlist – “Ashmit’s favourites” – rather than a DJ gig.
His hands stay in the air more than they do on the console, his biceps distracting from his music chops. And, we kid you not, he actually gets his drink stage-delivered, clinks glasses with Drumboodha, and places it next to the console. Swag? Maybe. The first ‘DJ’ to do it? Most likely.
The party wrapped up at curfew time. He didn’t scoot halfway, unlike Mr Deol. Some people danced with ridiculous moves; but Bollywood music has that effect. And he used the mic to give credit to another DJ every time he played a third-party mix.
DJ-ing never looked so effortless. Who wants to try next?