It’s sad, but true. For the global, cosmopolitan city that Mumbai is, it suffers from a serious paucity of venues for the performing arts. People seem to have all the time, money and space here to open, say, new F&B ventures. But only a handful want to hedge a bet on launching a place dedicated to music, comedy or theatre. So, someone in the suburbs is forced to travel all the way to the NCPA in SoBo or a mill compound in Lower Parel to catch quality acts since closer home, there are only limited options like The Little Door in Andheri and The Habitat in Khar. This ties the hands of performers and audience members, which the city has thousands of. And it also shows up Mumbai in comparison to global hotspots like London or New York that are bustling with places where a diverse range of artistes showcase their craft.

Stand-up comedian Punit Pania in action at Dextrus