Back in 2012, living rooms across Tamil Nadu would fall silent as someone on TV would nervously declare, “Lock pannidalam” (let’s lock it). Families would then wait for actor Suriya to yell “Sariyana bathil!” (right answer!). The excitement of Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi wasn’t just about the participants winning the prize money; it was about the collective thrill of knowledge, entertainment, and the adrenaline rush. That thrill, once confined to the TV screen, finds new life in the bustling pubs, cafés, and social gatherings in Chennai, where quiz nights provide a platform to connect and compete.
One of the first to fuel these quiz nights was Arjun Mohan, better known as Juno Mohan in quizzing circles. Arjun, one of the brains in the team of Kaun Banega Crorepati and Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi, conducts two weekly pub quizzes: Quizzards at Watson’s, T Nagar, on Thursdays and Your Friendly Neighborhood Trivia Night at The Neighborhood Bar, on Wednesdays. The decision to anchor quiz nights as a regular part of Watson’s wasn’t accidental. “Hosting regular quiz nights was a strategic move to foster community, increase customer engagement, and add a fun, interactive element to our offerings,” says Rajanish Babu, COO, Watson’s.
Arjun recalls recommending the idea even before the pub opened in Chennai, and adds that though he occasionally does theme-based quizzes, he prefers to keep them general, and include more audios and videos to make it more interactive. “There’s no preset template. You show up on the day, there are a couple of rounds — each one a different topic — and you just go with the flow,” he says.
While pub quizzes entered the Chennai arena only in the past years, they’ve long been a weekly ritual in countries like the UK and the USA. Arjun notes that the format became familiar here largely because of those who had travelled abroad. “As people in metro cities started exploring other countries, they brought with them the idea of these nights to their own cities,” he says. The format caught on, especially among young professionals looking for mid-week unwinding, that is both competitive and casual.
Sanjith, a regular at Watson’s, has experienced pub quizzes in Dublin and was glad to find something similar here. “I was kind of intrigued,” he says. When he was looking for places that had quiz nights in the city, he came across professional quizzing circuits but since he wanted a “chiller, laid back version of it,” he explored the options of pub quizzing. One night at Watson’s, he met Arjun and started attending his quiz nights as they were not planned quizzes, and covered several themes.
But not all quiz nights in the city follow a general trivia format. For some, the fun lies in going all in on a single, beloved theme and when it comes to Chennai, what better theme than cinema?
Enter the world of Raja Ravi Shankar, a quizmaster known for his Kollywood-themed quizzes titled ‘Thara Local’. He is also one of the founders of Chennai Quiz Factory. Raja’s quizzes are often filled with Tamil pop culture, lateral thinking, and a heavy dose of nostalgia. “I tend to keep things rooted,” he says. His quizzes, often held at private venues and cafés, attract a loyal crowd across age groups — from the 20s to seasoned film buffs in their 50s. “We recently did a Kollywood-themed quiz at a café that could seat around 40 to 45 people. The response was so overwhelming that the owners had to turn away callers saying there were no seats left. We ended up squeezing in 65 people. That was the biggest turnout the café had seen for a quiz,” Raja shares.
According to Rajanish, quiz nights tend to attract a slightly different crowd — more local and community-focused — who come specifically for the intellectual challenge and camaraderie. “While DJ nights and stand-up shows generate high energy and attract larger crowds, quiz nights often see consistent footfall throughout the week, especially mid-week. And they tend to boost bar sales as participants stay longer and order more drinks while participating,” he adds.
For the quiz buffs, these nights are more than a mid-week distraction. They’re a ritual. Savithri, a judicial clerk, says, “Two years ago, I was having a drink with a friend at the Velveteen Rabbit, where a quiz was held. I have been hooked ever since,” she says. “The topics covered everything from ‘90s’ cartoons to mixed songs. Everybody was able to enjoy it.” Now, she attends weekly. “I bring in a new friend to the quiz every single time, but my regular partner is my best friend Samyuktha. Due to work, I barely get time to socialise. But at quiz nights, I meet like-minded people,” she says.
And for the first-timers and those battling a dilemma, “What’s the harm in taking part and seeing if you can win a free bottle?” Sanjith asks, referring to the prize awarded to winners at Watson’s. On many nights, discount vouchers are also offered. Meanwhile, at the Neighborhood Bar, there are 50 per cent discount vouchers for weekly quiz winners, while league winners stand the chance of winning a holiday get-away for two nights at one of their resorts.
The prize aside, Arjun and Raja agree that the goal is to spark something. “At the end of the day, people come to have fun. If they take away one new thing from the quiz, I think we’ve done our job,” Raja concludes.