he Bioscope Bar is what Sumer and Parul
Datta fondly like to call the basement in
their plush Gurgaon home. Reason? This
area is home to a funky bar, the expansive
entertainment facilities, and the up-to-
date media room. It is a self-contained
unit with everything the couple or their guests could
need being available right there— a microwave, a
refrigerator, tableware, and glassware. “I enjoy this
space the most in my house,” says Sumer. “I prefer it to
any bar or restaurant outside.”
Entertainment is a regular feature for the Dattas.
Besides parties, they love hosting sports-themed events,
especially during the football and cricket season. To
ensure that the sounds of revelry do not escape to the
upper levels of the house, the walls of the media room
have been soundproofed with cork.
The spacious house, above the basement, was
built on 1,000 sq. yards area around 10 years ago.
Later their neighbour sold the adjoining land to them
adding another sprawling 1,000 sq. yards of space to
the house (but the Dattas preferred to develop it only
as a garden). They enlisted the expertise of architect
Rasik Belli to interpret their requirements and translate
them in sync with their taste. The design of the house
follows a traditional layout— inspired by Sumer's
maternal grandparents' home in Jammu— with a central
courtyard surrounded by rooms. The house follows
a classic structure and is neutral in decor; everything
modem is limited to the warm, welcoming basement.
“Our friends feel free to throw parties at The
Bioscope Bar even when we are not around. Our home is
never locked,” says Parul. ■
MAN ABOUT THE HOUSF Sumer,
above,
has been
passionately involved in doing up his home. “I was told 111
lose my sanity, but I had a blast designing it and seeing it
come up the way it did,” he says.
EC i e c iC FEel The decor is neither intimidating, nor
ostentatious. It's where grown-ups let their hair down and
behave like kids, be it at a game of Foosball or Pictionary!
