“I hate that it’s closing by 11.30. Calcutta’s night life was one of the things that made the city special. Those days when we’d party till the wee hours and then head to a dhaba are gone. If I’m going back this early I’d rather eat at home,” said model-actress Ushoshi Sengupta at Underground around 11.20pm.

Michelle Puri, 27, (in pink and white printed top in picture right) was partying with family and friends at Plush, The Astor, on Wednesday night. By the time Metro caught up with the group, they were on their way out — to Jai Hind Dhaba on Sarat Bose Road. The time? 10.55pm.

“That used to be the time when people strolled into the club,” sighed Plush manager Sumitra Basu. Now it’s a time to plan “what next” as the club shuts in another 40 minutes.

“Where else can we go now?” Michelle & Co. replied when asked about their next destination. “At least it’s somewhere to go to when the clubs shut down. The ambience is relaxed and one doesn’t feel unsafe at a dhaba,” they said.

At midnight, another team from Metro spotted Michelle and her friends at Jai Hind Dhaba, ready to tuck in (picture right). But Abhinav Agarwal, a 26-year-old, was still grumbling. “After having lived and enjoyed the night life in Calcutta it is extremely difficult for us to adapt to the changed schedule.”

At 10.45pm, Shibuji, at the Wood Street-Theatre Road crossing, was bustling with families savouring kulfi and chaat and downing glasses of the famous Shikanji and thandai.

For Muskan Bhambani (picture left), the deadline has sounded the death knell for her dancing days. “The early closure is sad for homemakers like me. Our kids sleep only around 11pm, so by the time we step out it is 11.30pm. By then the parties are already over now!” So, the couple prefer to give the nightclub a miss and enjoy some late evening snacks at Shibuji, kids in tow, added the 30-year-old.

Metro encountered similar scenes of party interrupted across city hotspots on Holi-eve, a traditionally big night-out. At Underground, HHI, the dance floor — though not as packed as expected — was full at 11.25pm. But the party was already on its last legs. Yvonne Syiem (picture right), had been dancing since 9.30pm — something quite unthinkable for her before the Bengal government slapped the Cinderella hour deadline on nightspots following the Park Street rape case in early February.

The other saviour for the party animals is Balwant Singh’s Eating House on Harish Mukherjee Road. Mihir Boshi (picture right), a young businessman, was there with a friend, firm in his belief that there was “no point going to nightclubs these days”. “We hardly ever started partying before 11pm. So now it’s pointless going to a disc. I hope the rules change soon,” Boshi said.

“I wouldn’t even step out of home at 9.30pm! I’m used to partying till at least 1am. I will probably drop by Sharma’s (New Sharma Hotel on Ballygunge Circular Road) after this,” said the 22-year-old.

But without drinks and dance, the night winds up early at the dhabas too. Karamjeet Singh, one of the owners of Jai Hind Dhaba, said though the party crowd shifts to the dhabas after the midnight deadline, the eateries also shut shop earlier than before.“We would be open and crowded till 1.30am since people would come in after partying. Now it seems very few people are stepping out to party. This in turn has affected our sales. The late-night crowd has dropped by almost 50 per cent. We down shutters by 12.45am or 1. It is pointless keeping the dhaba open for one or two customers,” rued Singh.

Going back home after the clubs close would be like letting “them” win, feel some die-hard disc fans.

Text: Malini Banerjee & Shubhi Tandon

Pictures: Rashbehari Das & Anindya Shankar Ray