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Noida’s now home to a swanky shopping and entertainment destination in the form of the DLF Mall of India. The much delayed behemoth, that has finally opened after years of speculation, is touted as the country’s biggest mall. Expect six shopping levels spread over two million sq ft space including a plethora of international and Indian fashion labels, a dedicated kids zone, a multi-screen theatre, a large food court and even some of Delhi’s favourite restaurants and bars, along with a race track atrium!
No more rushing to South Delhi to go shopping or looking for a fun spot to have a drink post work, because with around 100 fashion brands and 73 FB names in place – this is poised to become the next big thing, not only for the suburb but for the city. Read on to find out all you can do, see and eat here as well as get some first time scoops!
EXPERIENCE
Ask any one who’s working or living in Noida what they find lacking here and prompt comes the response – shopping opportunities! Well, that’s changed with this mammoth mall. A much excited and tad tiring walk around the whole space, and we discovered there are more stores here than we can count on our fingertips. Currently, you can swipe plastic at Gap, Forever 21, Big Bazaar, Shoppers Stop, Anokhi, Chumbak, Reebok, Adidas, Biba, The Body Shop, Sunglass Hut, Hidesign, Only, Vero Moda, Mothercare, Jack Jones, Only, Home Centre, Promod, Jamun Tree, Ritu Kumar, Punk, Kiehl’s, Clarks, Puma, Anita Dongre, AND, Lifestyle, Archies, Fossil, GANT and Carat Lane – phew! International biggies like Tommy Hilfiger, Zara, HM, Sephora, Bobbi Brown, MAC, Clinique, Marks Spencer, Calvin Klein, Aeropostle, Steve Madden, Nine West, Ed Hardy and Hamleys will also open their doors soon.
If you want to pamper yourself after an exhausting bout of retail therapy, there are salons and spas including Geetanjali, Looks, BBlunt, Aura Thai Spa and others you can check out. While the multi-screen DT Cinemas is open for movie buffs. If you’re looking to do something special for your kids, there’s a dedicated screen for the young ones or take them to the gaming zone Smaash, which will be operational soon along with Ski India.
The team has been thoughtful enough to provided a drivers room besides valet parking and a VIP Drop Off zone. If you don’t feel like driving, there’s a taxi stand inside the premises as well.
FOOD + DRINKS
What if we told you the food court here can accommodate 1000+ people at the same time? Yes, you read that right! Noida’s newest address is a larger than life project by DLF. When it comes to eating out here, we’ve always faced an acute lack of choices, but all that no longer holds true. So now you don’t need to go all the way to CP to grab a bottle of your favourite cold coffee from Keventers, as they have opened an outlet a kiosk in the food court. Pair that drink with some awesome Cantonese dim sum and Burnt Chilli Fish Meal in a Bowl from Wanchai By Kylin, or go the full hog with Bento Café’s Japanese yakitori, Thai curries, noodle bowls and fried ice cream as well as Make Your Own Bento options. While Ala-turka brings an Arabian touch with specialties like Doner Kebab and Falafel, taco lovers can head to the Mexican speciality chain of Taco Bell for some Chiptole Chalupa. Our pick of the lot includes the speciality pizzas at Pizza Express and Instapizza.
For binge eating, hop from counter to counter at Rolls King, Wow Momo, Vaango, Jonnny Rockets, KFC, Vaango, Tikka Town along with Cinnabon and Mad Over Donuts for sweet endings. Caffeine addicts will love Costa Coffee and Café Coffee Day and the soon-to-open Starbucks as well as The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf apart from our homegrown Chaayos.
In places to watch out for, we’ve got insider confirmation on the Parsi dikhra SodaBottleOpenerWala, street food hub Imly, freshly popped The Artful Baker, and this year’s Noteworthy Newcomer winner at the Times Food Nightlife Awards – Molecule setting shop soon. But the one we are super excited about is Jamie’s Pizzeria – woo hoo!
Other newbies that will mark their presence soon include Chili#39;s, Mamagoto, Carl’s Jr, Pita Pit, Café Delhi Heights, Punjabi by Nature and Made In Punjab. Are you hungry yet?
With Inputs by Ayandrali Dutta Kanika Mehta
Francophone Festival is a week-long celebration of the Francophone culture which will include film screenings, theatre performances, live music acts and also a lifestyle fair. The schedule is as follows:
10 am, 16 March: Mia Et Le Migou
Directed by: Jacques-Rémy Girerd
Mia has a premonition one night after which she sets out on a journey across jungles and tough terrain to look for her father who is trapped in a landslide.
2 pm, 16 March: Le Roi Et L’Oiseau
Directed by: Paul Grimault
A chimney sweeper and a shepherdess are characters in a painting in which they are trying to escape the clutches of a tyrannical king.
6: 30 pm, 16 March: Man Is A Funny Bird
This exhibition by Rudi Pillen, one of Belgium’s foremost artists, shows his abundant creativity with expressionism and abstract figures.
10 am, 17 March: Gabrielle
Directed by: Patrice Chereau
Gabrielle is an exuberant young woman suffering from William’s disease, who is constantly struggling to gain independence.
2 pm, 17 March: Henri Henri
Directed by: Martin Talbot
Henry has to figure out how to live in the big city when the sisters who raised him move out.
7 pm, 17 March: Les Belles-Soeurs
Conceptualised and presented by Vijaya Rao, this is a reading of Michel Tremblay’s play which is the story of 15 women who narrate the drudgery of their mundane existence.
8pm, 17 March: Kathak Performance
The play reading will be followed by a kathak performance by Anjali Patil.
9 am, 18 March: Tango Negro
Directed by: Dom Pedro
This documentary explores the contribution of the African community and their culture to the rise of tango.
7 pm, 18 March: Collage
Listen to jazz music from Switzerland by Beat Kaestli (vocals), the internationally acclaimed vocalist and songwriter and Walter Fischbacher (piano), the famous New York-based pianist and composer.
19-20 March: Francophone Mela
9 am, 19 March: Jour De Fete
Directed by: Jacques Tati
This French comedy by is about a postman who is easily distracted from his duties, constantly stopping to chat with people. Inspired the US Postal Service, he goes to comical lengths to speed up his mail delivery system.
5:30 pm, 19 March: Erika Lernot Live
Lernot is a young and upcoming Martinican singer who will be performing a jazz and soul concert.
10 am, 20 March: Sarah Prefere La Course
Directed by: Chloe Robichaud
This is a story about a young athlete who is single minded in her dedication towards racing.
12:30 pm, 20 March: Les Tontons Flingueurs
Directed by: Georges Lautner
Doing a favour to a friend, Fernand, an ex Mafioso, gets caught up in the underworld’s goings-on.
As a tribute to womenhood, this Spring Fair at Borines, will be showcasing 15 brands, all led by woman. In association with designer Poonam Bajaj and stylist Deepali Mathur, the brands here brings products ranging from, clothes, accessories, home furnishing, garden accessories to suits and much more. Sip on the Sangrias that are on the house along with a specially curated menu for the evening.
DefCol Social will be hosting the first edition of Smarty Pints Society, an evening dedicated to beer. Guests will learn about the basics of beer, what goes into it and how to differentiate between the different kinds. Beverage expert Karina Aggarwal will be guiding guests with the beer tasting.
Ticket Prices: Rs 1,250
Tickets available on Insider.in
Noida’s now home to a swanky shopping and entertainment destination in the form of the DLF Mall of India. The much delayed behemoth, that has finally opened after years of speculation, is touted as the country’s biggest mall. Expect six shopping levels spread over two million sq ft space including a plethora of international and Indian fashion labels, a dedicated kids zone, a multi-screen theatre, a large food court and even some of Delhi’s favourite restaurants and bars, along with a race track atrium!
No more rushing to South Delhi to go shopping or looking for a fun spot to have a drink post work, because with around 100 fashion brands and 73 FB names in place – this is poised to become the next big thing, not only for the suburb but for the city. Read on to find out all you can do, see and eat here as well as get some first time scoops!
EXPERIENCE
Ask any one who’s working or living in Noida what they find lacking here and prompt comes the response – shopping opportunities! Well, that’s changed with this mammoth mall. A much excited and tad tiring walk around the whole space, and we discovered there are more stores here than we can count on our fingertips. Currently, you can swipe plastic at Gap, Forever 21, Big Bazaar, Shoppers Stop, Anokhi, Chumbak, Reebok, Adidas, Biba, The Body Shop, Sunglass Hut, Hidesign, Only, Vero Moda, Mothercare, Jack Jones, Only, Home Centre, Promod, Jamun Tree, Ritu Kumar, Punk, Kiehl’s, Clarks, Puma, Anita Dongre, AND, Lifestyle, Archies, Fossil, GANT and Carat Lane – phew! International biggies like Tommy Hilfiger, Zara, HM, Sephora, Bobbi Brown, MAC, Clinique, Marks Spencer, Calvin Klein, Aeropostle, Steve Madden, Nine West, Ed Hardy and Hamleys will also open their doors soon.
If you want to pamper yourself after an exhausting bout of retail therapy, there are salons and spas including Geetanjali, Looks, BBlunt, Aura Thai Spa and others you can check out. While the multi-screen DT Cinemas is open for movie buffs. If you’re looking to do something special for your kids, there’s a dedicated screen for the young ones or take them to the gaming zone Smaash, which will be operational soon along with Ski India.
The team has been thoughtful enough to provided a drivers room besides valet parking and a VIP Drop Off zone. If you don’t feel like driving, there’s a taxi stand inside the premises as well.
FOOD + DRINKS
What if we told you the food court here can accommodate 1000+ people at the same time? Yes, you read that right! Noida’s newest address is a larger than life project by DLF. When it comes to eating out here, we’ve always faced an acute lack of choices, but all that no longer holds true. So now you don’t need to go all the way to CP to grab a bottle of your favourite cold coffee from Keventers, as they have opened an outlet a kiosk in the food court. Pair that drink with some awesome Cantonese dim sum and Burnt Chilli Fish Meal in a Bowl from Wanchai By Kylin, or go the full hog with Bento Café’s Japanese yakitori, Thai curries, noodle bowls and fried ice cream as well as Make Your Own Bento options. While Ala-turka brings an Arabian touch with specialties like Doner Kebab and Falafel, taco lovers can head to the Mexican speciality chain of Taco Bell for some Chiptole Chalupa. Our pick of the lot includes the speciality pizzas at Pizza Express and Instapizza.
For binge eating, hop from counter to counter at Rolls King, Wow Momo, Vaango, Jonnny Rockets, KFC, Vaango, Tikka Town along with Cinnabon and Mad Over Donuts for sweet endings. Caffeine addicts will love Costa Coffee and Café Coffee Day and the soon-to-open Starbucks as well as The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf apart from our homegrown Chaayos.
In places to watch out for, we’ve got insider confirmation on the Parsi dikhra SodaBottleOpenerWala, street food hub Imly, freshly popped The Artful Baker, and this year’s Noteworthy Newcomer winner at the Times Food Nightlife Awards – Molecule setting shop soon. But the one we are super excited about is Jamie’s Pizzeria – woo hoo!
Other newbies that will mark their presence soon include Chili#39;s, Mamagoto, Carl’s Jr, Pita Pit, Café Delhi Heights, Punjabi by Nature and Made In Punjab. Are you hungry yet?
With Inputs by Ayandrali Dutta Kanika Mehta
Depot 29 is presenting an evening with Afterglow, a quartet of jazz musicians including Rie Ona (saxophone, clarinet), Sonic Shori (bass), Sreenath Sreenivasan (drums) and Shivam Khare (keyboard). The band aims at incorporating improvisation and spontaneity in their music and at this gig they will be playing some original music.
Get your groove on at Farzi Café with a gig by The Electrovertz, a DJ duo formed by Nina Shah and Malika Haydon. From London to Australia, this electrifying duo has given performances all over clubs and venues across the world. Their sound is straight up minimal, tech house, progressive, commercial and electro and their influences include Daft Punk, Armin Van Burren, Tiesto, Hardwell, Zedd, Deadmau5, Armin Van Buuren, Ummet Ozcan and Nervo.
Enjoy unlimited dimsums at Dao, throughout the months. The fine dine restaurant is offering a whole range of dimsums, like Duck Dumpling, Spicy Chicken Dumpling, Chicken and Chive Dumpling, Spicy Prawn Dumpling, Kow Lun Prawn Har Gao, Chicken and Prawn Shumai, Veg Chive Dumpling, Pokchoy and Tofu Dumpling, Chilli Garlic Dumpling, to name a few.
Price: Rs 1,335 (Monday to Thursday) and Rs 1,555 (Friday to Sunday)
With the on set of summers hitting the town, California Pizza Kitchen brings to you a Platter and Beverage festival, offering delicious food and cool drinks to sip on.
The menu offers dishes like Mediterranean rolls, Mexican Quesadillas, Corn Baja Croquettes, Spicy garbanzo fritters, Chili Cheese Toast and Vegetable Bruschetta. The carnivores can opt for the non vegetarian platter consisting of Chipotle Grilled Chicken, Sonora Chicken Rolls, Cilantro Baked Fish, Chicken Nuggets, Fish Fingers or Chicken Basil Bruschetta and more. The drinks one can try are Orange Mojito , Mango Ecstasy , Electric Blue and more.
Boheme is presenting an evening of music with three international musicians. Ravi Daniel Rangel is a Mexican guitarist and composer who is in India working on several fusion music projects and also as part of a band called the Latin Jam. Eduardo Lastra is an Argentinian musician trained in both Latin American and Hindustani percussion music. Joining them will be Nathalie Ramirez, a professional flautist who has trained in different musical styles across the world.
To book your slot, visit Insider.in
Indulge in an evening in the lap of luxury and fashion, as Grandioso brings to town some of the finest and next generation designers, brands and products, all under one roof. Some of the finest designers, from across the country, will be showcasing their innovative creations – fashion, jewellery, couture accessories, home decor items and more.
Some of the names you can look forward to include Dieu Or, Aamlin, ANM Jewellery, Aharin, Marigold, and Jasmine Bains.
The Urban Lens Film Festival is back with its third edition, and, after a successful screening in Bangalore earlier this month, is coming to Delhi for the first time this year. The festival, which primarily focuses on non-fiction films that engage with the idea of ‘city’, brings together films from different storytelling traditions that range from ethnographic accounts of historic events to personal video essays and animation films.
WHAT TO EXPECT
In its three-day run, 20 films – both shorts and full-length – will be screened along with conversations with some directors and panel discussions around the art of cinematic discourse on the city and its citizens at the end of each day. Much as we wanted to, we couldn’t watch all 20 films on offer for this preview, so we’ve handpicked five promising ones – two student films and three documentaries. Apart from these, some of the others that we plan on watching during the festival include TrueLoveStory by Geetanjali Rao (2 pm), and Where’s Sandra by Paromita Vohra (3 pm) from Day 1; Workers Leaving the Factory by Harun Farocki (10 am) and Our Metropolis by Gautam Sonti and Usha Rao (2 pm) from Day 2; and Electric Shadows by Avijit Mukul Kishore (3.30 pm), Ayodhya Gatha by Vani Subramanian (5 pm), and My Mother India by Safina Oberoi (6.30 pm) from Day 3.
In addition to hard-hitting cinema, conversations surrounding queer resonances in Indian films, cinematic memory and using personal histories to create a portrait of the city are something we look forward to. A panel discussion is scheduled to take place on all three days and will see names like Vikram Phukan, Ruchir Joshi, Joshy Joseph, Sabina Gadihoke and Paromita Vohra sharing their mind with the audience.
WHAT WE RECOMMEND
Not Caste In Stone
Direction: Firdaus Soni, Keduokhrietuo Sachu, Kritika Agarwal, Prateek Shekhar, Vaibhav Sorte
Day 1: 10.20 am, 31 minutes
A film by students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, this is a documentation of the Dalits from Dharavi and their need to build their own place in society through the construction of a temple. Adi Dravida, a Dalit community from Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu had started migrating to Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) in the late 19th century in search of better life – most found work in leather tanneries, which paid slightly more but was a dangerous profession. Through interviews and archival footage, the film tries to explain the issues of caste oppression and the ongoing struggle against it, while documenting their history of migration and settlement in Dharavi.
Good Morning Mumbai
Direction: Rajesh Thakare, Troy Vasanth C
Day 1: 11.45 am, 13 minutes
A short film by students of the National Institute of Design using traditional and 3D animation techniques, it comments on the lack of adequate sanitation facilities in parts of Mumbai. We’ve all come across people, to put it delicately, relieving themselves out in the open and have cringed at the sight. But have we ever asked why? The film comes up with a very believable, and funny, premise that follows a man and tries to explain just that.
India Cabaret
Direction: Mira Nair
Day 1: 7.30 pm, 60 minutes
The world, seen through the eyes of cabaret dancers in Bombay of 1985, was quite different from the one we are used to. Sure, the culturally constructed gender is hard to avoid in a patriarchal society, but it’s heartening to see these women defying the way things ‘ought to be’ and making their presence felt by proudly earning an honest living. Interspersed with interviews with the (male) owners of the clubs as well as patrons, the film subtly comments on the hypocrisy of society.
The Factory
Direction: Rahul Roy
Day 2: 10 am, 120 minutes
The Factory is a documentary on the plight of the more than hundred arrested workers and over a thousand dismissed workers from the Maruti Suzuki factory in Manesar, Haryana. On that fateful day when an agitation turned violent, a manager was killed and many employees injured in the clash between management and workers, which was termed by many as a class war. The workers were agitating against company policies including formation of unions, better pay, and decent working conditions. It soon becomes clear that there may have been bigger powers at play with unfair land acquisitions in Haryana, lack of a proper study on environmental impact before establishing industries in the area, and unfair treatment of workers coming to light. The consistent oppression of state through rejection of bail pleas of the accused over a period of two and a half years, the dejection of the people, and their chilling exclaims of understanding why the Naxal is born are all testament to the fact that tareekh pe tareekh can truly drive the sanest to violence.
Videograms of a Revolution
Direction: Harun Farocki
Day 2: 4.10 pm, 106 minutes
This one is a new-media record of the historic Romanian Revolution in Bucharest in December of 1989 when the people, tired of long-time communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu, revolted violently and took over the Securitate (the secret police agency). Taking control over the television station, the demonstrators broadcast continuously for 120 hours – from December 21st (day of Ceausescu’s last speech) to December 26th (the first televised summary of his trial) –at the most important locations in the city, and thus, making the television studio a historical site. To this extent, the voiceover asserts: “If film is possible, then history too is possible.” The documentary pieces together available footage from the revolution, taken from multiple cameras, with minimal narration to give background and fill in factual gaps.
Where: Goethe Institut, Max Mueller Bhavan
When: March 18th to 20th, 10 am to 9 pm
Entry: Free
For a detailed schedule, check here.
BandStand will be hosting a gig by Kitchensink, a Delhi-based band popular on the indie music scene in the city. The band includes Jayant Manchanda (bass), Siddharth Jain (drums), Adhir Ghosh (guitar) and Smiti Malik (vocals). Their music is a blend of jazz, soul and RB tunes.
Joining them will be Sylvia, a band whose music is inspired by musicians like Steven Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald and Hiatus Kaiyote.
Mama Suranya Books bring to town Story Bhandar, an evening of storytelling session for kids of all age group. The stories will not just be conveyed verbally, but through the medium of dance, dastongi and puppetry.
Combining storybooks with performances, the event will be graced by some of India’s leading and talented artists from the art and culture world. Witness Dr Sonal Mansingh performing live on Natya Katha based on stories for children - The Mango, the Ant and the Bucket of Water and Red Moon, while master puppeteer from Rajasthan, Santosh Bhatt and his troupe, who will perform the story The Peacock Who Wanted to Fly Like an Eagle. Mahmood Farooqui’s famous Dastangoi artist takes to the stage the latest release of Mama Suranya Books - A Summer’s Tale.
Entry: free
Privee is hosting a special evening with DJ BL3ND, the Los Angeles-based DJ who is coming to India after a successful stint at Tomorrowland. With over a million followers on YouTube, he has become popular for his crazy mixes and electrifying live sets.
Ticket prices: Rs 1,000
Tickets available on BookMyShow
The two day World Food And Wine Festival will bring with it a range of some of the finest cuisines and liquor, from across the globe. Taking place for the first time in the country, the event will also be featuring fun comeptitons and entertainment including a live performance by Hans Raj Projekt, all under one roof. Adding to the charm, they even have special game and activity zones set up at the venue, for different age groups. One can browse through nearly 200 stalls and over 300 variety of wine here.
Entry: Rs 100
For more information, click here
The newly opened Niche Lounge Bistro will be hosting a live performance by the Dhruv Visvanath Trio, a Delhi-based alternative rock band which includes Dhruv Visvanath (guitar and vocals), Ashwin Nayar (guitar), Amar Pandey (bass) and Ishaan Gandhi (drums).
Entry: Free
The solo exhibition by Ritu Gupta Empowering Love, comes as her initiative to celebrate the divine love of Radha and Lord Krishna. The symbolic love of these two can be seen in Ritu’s work on display, with reference to implicitly and subtleness.
Her work beautifully interprets the youthful Krishna and his dalliances with the Gopis , as symbolic depiction of the loving interplay between God and the human soul. With the use of vibrant colours and fine detailing, the artist moves beyond the traditional iconography and instead chooses to focus on the mood of lovers.
Tabula Beach Café is coming back in a new avatar and it will be opening its doors with a grand launch party. The evening will see a set by Midival Punditz, the music project of Gaurav Sharma and Tapan Raj. Their music is a heady mix of edgy electronic music and Indian sounds. Founded in 1997, the duo have been the trailblazers in the genre of electronic music in India and they are known for their revolutionary live sets blending signature electronica beats with Indian rhythms and vocals and even Indian instruments like the tabla and flute.
Joining them will be Monalisa and The Band, formed by singer and composer Rigden Yolmo. Their music is all about fun, peppy songs.
The art exhibition will be showcasine work of Indrapramit Roy and ?Sebastian Varghese. Mezzaterra, by Indrapramit Roy is an imagined territory yet a pervasive and real one, where depth is added by echoes and reflections. The work comes from the minds and creativity of the artist, giving shape to a world where binaries are not the only defining theme.
Water Variations by Sebastian Varghese depicts the geographical segregations by water and socio-political spaces. The artist feels that individuals interact with water in their everyday life, and its presence is both a visual treat and forms the contemplative portals to our mind. One can find the different light waves reflecting of the surface, in his work, using watercolours. The exhibition will also be showcasing a video by the artist.
