Joota Chupai: Shaadi Season Kitty Party Game Rules and Twists

What do you need to play Joota Chupai?

• One chappal or slipper from the host, which plays the dulha's joota
• 10 paper notes per team with amounts written on them (101, 500, 1100, 2100)
• A phone timer set to 3 minutes and to 30 seconds
• One shaadi song everyone knows, sung by the hiding team
• Paper and a pen for the score

How to play Joota Chupai, step by step

1. Split the group into two teams: the saaliyan (bride's side) and the ladkewale (groom's side).
2. The ladkewale step out of the room. The saaliyan hide the chappal anywhere in the room within 1 minute, then call the seekers back in.
3. The saaliyan start singing a shaadi song. They sing louder as the seekers move closer to the chappal and softer as they move away. That song is the only clue.
4. The ladkewale get 3 minutes to find the chappal. If they find it, they score 1 point. If the timer runs out, the saaliyan score 1 point.
5. After every hunt the host shouts "Neg do!" and both teams haggle for 30 seconds, the saaliyan demanding a high neg and the ladkewale offering a low one with paper notes. The team that agrees first, goes silent or laughs loses the haggle and the other team scores 1 point.

Rules: how do you win?

• The saaliyan must keep singing throughout the hunt; if they stop, the ladkewale get 1 point.
• The chappal cannot be hidden inside a closed cupboard, bag or drawer, and never in a fragile or unsafe place.
• In the neg haggle, the team that says yes first, goes quiet or bursts out laughing loses that haggle.
• Swap roles after each round and play 4 rounds. The team with the most points becomes Shaadi Champion.

Fun twists to make it crazier

• Dhol round: instead of singing, the saaliyan give the clue only by tapping a steel thaali with a spoon, faster and louder as the seekers get close.
• When the host shouts "Mama ji aa gaye!", the seeker must hand over the hunt to a new lady from her team.
• Hide two chappals, one real and one dummy. Bringing back the dummy costs the seekers 1 point.

Tips for the host

• Keep glass items, medicines and the children's room out of bounds before the hiding starts.
• Choose a song everyone knows, like a popular sangeet number, so the volume changes are clear.
• Use only paper or toy notes for the neg, never real money.
• Let the quietest lady in each team be the neg negotiator for the most laughs.

Frequently asked questions