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Nowadays, Mumbai's arts scene has gone as online as any other major city's, so your first stop should probably be the Internet. For movies, go to www.bookmyshow.com to book tickets at most Mumbai theaters. For some of the best cultural goings-on-about-town, check out the websites www.mumbaiboss.com and www.bpbweekend.com. If you're old-school, you can check out the fortnightly culture calendar "Programme of Dance, Music and Drama," available free at the Government of India Tourist Office. The daily Times of India usually lists each day's films, concerts, and other events; on Friday the paper publishes a guide to city events called What's Hot that can be purchased at any newsstand. The afternoon paper Midday publishes highlights of the coming week's events in its pullout What To Do? Where To Go?, also available online (www.mid-day.com). Program information and details usually appear on the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation's (MTDC) city-guide programs, shown regularly on hotel in-house TV stations.
Performance tickets in Mumbai are usually quite inexpensive (from free to Rs. 500) and can be purchased from box offices or from the ticket counter at Rhythm House (across the street from the Jehangir Art Gallery), an iconic Mumbai music store so legendary that locals write wistful essays about it. They still sell CDs and DVDs in the download era, and for now, people still buy them. The helpful staff is also a valuable source of info on what's happening around town.
The popularity of stand-up comedy has been on the rise in Mumbai ever since India received its own version of Comedy Central on cable back in 2011. Located in a luxury mall, this theater is a great place to catch local comics tuning up their act.
Run by the famous Kapoor acting family (current Bollywood stars Kareena and Ranbir Kapoor are two of them), the theater stages plays each week, many in English, with reasonably priced tickets. It often hosts special programs for children, too. It's a 45-minute drive north from downtown Mumbai, or 20 minutes from the airport in non-traffic hours. An evening at Prithvi, which has an arty café and a carefully curated bookstore, can make for one of the more memorable cultural experiences in the city.
