Hook, Line, and Thinker: A Quiz Night with ChefTZac
A pub quiz brought Mumbai’s coastal stories, indigenous Koli knowledge, and the documentary ‘Against the Tide’ into one lively night with ChefTZac.
On 12 October 2025, The Locavore organised Hook, Line, and Thinker—a pub quiz hosted by ChefTZac, created in partnership with MUBI India—as part of the Mumbai Koli Project, our city-wide impact campaign inspired by the award-winning documentary, Against the Tide. Over drinks, coastal flavours, and a friendly competitive spark, participants explored the many themes of the film directed by Sarvnik Kaur.
The evening was hosted at the Bandra outpost of Woodside Inn, which put together a special seafood menu for the occasion. From questions about Mumbai’s docks and fish markets to activity rounds inspired by Koli fishing knowledge and coastal foodways, the quiz brought together cinema lovers, seafood enthusiasts, and curious Mumbaikars for a relaxed, informal night.
While the film explores important questions of tradition, technology, and livelihoods, the quiz translated these into moments of shared learning, spontaneity, and humour.
Each participant received a bespoke 30-day MUBI subscription.
Scenes from the quiz: teams at work, questions on screen, and Woodside Inn’s special seafood menu for the night. Photo courtesy ChefTZac
About the Quiz
ChefTZac hosted the evening as quizmaster, leading rounds that called for both knowledge and creativity. Questions drew on scenes from the film Against the Tide, references to Koli fishing knowledge systems, the climate crisis, and trivia from Mumbai’s coastal landscape.
Participants had the chance to meet director Sarvnik Kaur and protagonist Ganesh Nakhawa, who shared personal reflections on their journey and the film.
The quiz featured rounds where participants had to identify ports and fish species, and a live challenge asking teams to invent a dish the protagonists of Against the Tide would serve if they opened a restaurant together.
Some questions sparked debate, others laughter, all designed to make the themes of the Mumbai Koli Project accessible and engaging.
Highlights from the Night
The collaborative spirit in the room was more palpable than any sense of competition. Teams were formed quickly—friends, strangers, seafood fans, film enthusiasts—all swapping guesses and cheering when someone recognised a fish species or remembered a detail from the film.
When the final scores were tallied, the winning team was Woodside Inn’s own; a group comprising Koli chefs who did not only bring expert knowledge to the table, but also a healthy dose of humour. Along with bragging rights, the winning team received merchandise from MUBI and a selection of products from some of our partner producers.
One of the participants, Hashim Mirza, reflected on the creative rush of the recipe challenge:
“Using nevtas (mudskippers) in a kathi roll made of bhakri, with a seaweed dressing and imli chutney, (it) was my brainwave…Though we missed the top prize—that went to the hosts at the Inn (they had home advantage)—we were all winners in the end, not just learning so much with empathy, but having a blast doing so as well.”
For us, the highlight was watching strangers lean in towards one another—associating knowledge from a documentary with the lived histories of the city’s coastline. The questions opened pathways into conversations about the climate crisis, fishing livelihoods, and the tension between tradition and technology—without ever losing the easy warmth of a community night-out.
The Mumbai Koli Project continues with conversations, screenings, community engagements, and storytelling—all inspired by Against the Tide.
The Mumbai Koli Project is the official impact campaign of the documentary ‘Against the Tide’, led by The Locavore in close collaboration with Sarvnik Kaur, Ganesh Nakhawa, and Sonia Parekh. It is supported by the Doc Society’s Climate Story Fund which enables independent media storytelling and impact strategies from around the world.
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