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Where India Meets the World in Dubai’s Cultural Quarter
From arthouse cinema to haute couture and sky-high dining, Dubai feels like a second home for India’s creative class.
A poster of Pakeezah — Kamal Amrohi’s 1972 classic — hangs inside Cinema Akil, the Gulf’s first independent arthouse cinema. It’s a quiet but telling image: Meena Kumari’s tragic courtesan presiding over a screening room in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai’s warehouse-turned-cultural district. Step outside, and the dialogue between India and the world only gets richer.
Alserkal is where Jaipur Rugs has created a caverous store designed like a Rajasthani stepwell — a piece of Jaipur’s architectural memory reflected through Dubai’s industrial, warehouse aesthetic. Nearby, Indian labels such as Outhouse Jewellery and Misho find pride of place at The Edit, a concept store spotlighting women-led sustainable brands. At Bkry, conversations take place over flaky croissants and strong coffee, while Kokoro, considered to be the region’s first dedicated hand-rolled bar, draws a design-forward crowd.
This is also where you’ll find The Junction staging community productions — Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream included — and The Flip Side spinning records for a new generation of crate-diggers. The Ishara Art Foundation anchors South Asian contemporary art in the district, while niche spaces such as Hikma Herbal and CHIKA — a Japanese-inspired abaya label that is every bit as cool as it sounds — underline the city’s knack for hybrid identities.
Dubai may be a melting pot, but India is one of its most visible flavours. There’s Subko brewing beans sourced from Indian estates, and fashion designer Manish Malhotra, who treats the city as a second home, complete with a flagship boutique. Bollywood’s glitterati fly in for shows and fashion week finales — Kriti Sanon among them — and often check into One&Only One Za'abeel, whose futuristic silhouette and sky-high pool have made it a social media fixture.
When Sanjay Dutt is in town, he makes a beeline for TakaHisa. “Went to the best Japanese restaurant in Dubai, the food and service was outstanding, thank you Chef Taka and Chef Hisa for the amazing food!!!… TakaHisa is a must,” he posted on Instagram, praising Chef Taka and Chef Hisa. The draw? Hand-rolled sushi, pristine ingredients, and a direct sightline to the Burj Khalifa. In a city that loves spectacle, TakaHisa’s near-silent dining room — no music, out of respect for residential neighbours — feels almost radical.
For panoramic drama, the world’s highest 360-degree infinity pool at Aura Skypool frames the Palm in cinematic fashion, while Sirene by Gaia offers glamour and a dessert menu worth lingering over. A leisurely lunch at Iliana pairs seafood with sweeping sea views.
Ahead of Ramadan, when the city’s markets take on a sense of anticipation, a cultural walk through old Dubai offers a different, earthier counterpoint. In the lanes of Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, towers cast angular shadows over coral-stone houses, while galleries and calligraphy studios hum quietly in the heat. A short hop across the creek on a traditional abra — the wooden boats that have ferried traders for generations — brings one to the spice-scented bustle of Dubai Spice Souk.
In Dubai, cultures don’t simply coexist; they collaborate. A Banarasi brocade at Orient 499, a Japanese abaya, a Rajasthani stepwell, a Hindi film poster — all within a few blocks. For Indian creatives and global tastemakers alike, the city is less a stopover and more a second act.