E-Paper
DJ Aqeel’s club still open
High-end Worli nightclub has not pulled down its shutters; owner says baseless rumours have only resulted in a drop in their customer base.
Recently, Mumbai’s party animals were caught off guard when reports claimed that Worli’s high-end nightclub, Hype, was shutting down. A city tabloid reported that the DJ Aqeel-owned nightclub would shut down on June 1, citing dwindling profit margins as the reason. It was also reported that Aqeel would play at the final gig at the club. But as it turns out, the place has not shut down and continues to do business as usual.
It has now come to light that though Aqeel did perform on the night of Saturday, June 1, he never announced any plans to shut the club. Aqeel, on the contrary, told us that he was shocked when the reports claiming so surfaced. “I was holidaying with my family abroad when the news about my club’s closing was reported. This is why I couldn’t contact anybody for clarifications,” he says.
It has been almost a month since the supposed closure and Aqeel claims that baseless rumours about his club’s closure have affected business badly. “I think my clientele has come down by about 40 per cent. I’m now looking at ways to inform our regular clients that we are still open,” says Aqeel.
His friend Shadaab Patel, who accompanies the DJ during his live performances at the venue, says, “This club is Aqeel’s baby and he won’t shut it anytime soon. Now that business is down, he’s planning to bring back old and new patrons by making the club swankier.” Aqeel adds, “My Delhi club had shut down sometime back. So the report in Mumbai may have appeared due to some confusion.”
