Party with a purpose

HUNGAMA and Not Dead Yet founder Ryan Lanji on his inclusive, celebratory club night for the LGBTQ+ South Asian community

Words Alastair James

IF IT WASN’T FOR “one unfortunate night” in 2015, HUNGAMA, the “South Asian, alternative, queer, Bollywood night”, as its founder Ryan Lanji describes it, may never have come about. After leaving Canada for London aged 23 in 2010, a bright-eyed and optimistic Ryan quickly began making a name for himself in the fashion world with work like Nailphilia, the world’s first nail art exhibition. “I was always really interested in how people interact and create something together that becomes a cultural phenomenon,” he says of his inspirations, which include Andy Warhol and the club culture of New York City. Then, following a break-up, Ryan was in need of community, so he drew up a list of queer spaces he found in Attitude and Time Out. Venturing alone to these places, he made…

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Attitude (Digital) - 1 Issue, July/August 2023

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