Will Mumbai's dance bar girls get to emerge from the shadows?

India Today

6 hours ago

Six nights a week, Aanam Khan (name changed) dresses in a ghaghra-choli for work. She is a bar girl based in Mumbai's Mira Road suburb, and also works in a bar in Mumbai Central on certain days. However, unlike the city's bar dancers of the 2000s, she doesn't dance. Today, a 2005 law prohibits "dance performances" in bars.Industry insiders point out that while dancing is banned by law, there's a loophole -- singing and casually interacting with patrons at bars remain allowed. So, Khan, who comes from a lineage of Tawaifs, adapted. She performs as a "singer" at orchestra bars. She even has an identity card, tucked into her ghagra, as proof of legitimacy. Today, she moves gracefully through the bars, smiling and engaging patrons in conversation, some of whom give her money for just a few minutes of her company.advertisementNow, nearly two decades after the dance bar ban, life inside Mumbai's "orchestra bars", which evolved from yesteryears' dance bars, is a mixed reality: for some women with generational knowledge of the trade, survival comes easier. But for others, it's a struggle.
However, a "big change" may be on the horizon for Mumbai's bar girls, with growing chatter that orchestra bars could soon see a major transformation. Sources hint that dance might once again be permitted, as the Maharashtra government may consider amending existing laws.A February report by the Mumbai-based Free Press Journal said a draft bill aiming to revive dance bars, albeit with stricter norms like limited performers and mandated distance from patrons, was awaiting cabinet approval. Members of the Performance Bar Committee told India Today Digital that even with tighter rules, allowing dance would significantly boost business.advertisementIf dance bars are legalised with clear rules, time limits, and proper safeguards, it could make the industry safer by offering bar girls legal protection, reducing exploitation, and curbing trafficking through stricter oversight, experts said, adding a regulated system could be a viable way out.Khan believes it will draw way more patrons to the bars. "This will boost our income if it actually happens," says Khan, who makes about Rs 500 to Rs 900 a day on weekdays. The business thrives on weekends, when she makes about Rs 2,000 a night.Ramashankar Yadav, an office-bearer of the Performance Bar Committee (a wing of the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association, or AHAR), told India Today Digital, "If dance bars are permitted again, Mumbai could see a massive economic boost, putting it on par with global nightlife hubs like Thailand".THE "ORCHESTRA BARS" OF TODAY IN MUMBAI
A scene from a Mumbai orchestra bar where a bar girl stands still instead of dancing. Her ID, which reads 'singer', can be seen hanging from her attire. (Photo: File)
Today, stepping into an orchestra bar feels like entering a time capsule to the 1990s. Neon lights pulse to the rhythm of old Hindi songs. The smell of whisky and cigarettes hangs thick in the air. Women stand or roam around near tables, expecting attention and money from the patrons.Waiters often advise customers to break larger notes into smaller denominations that they can offer the "singers". The most common bundles are of Rs 20. But they can be Rs 50 or Rs 100 bundles too. Some spend it all at once; others take their time. Another stark difference is that the notes are now handed directly to the girls, unlike in the 2000s, when men would throw the notes at the dancers.Khan said, "The girls don't mind even smaller amounts, like a single Rs 20 note, though that buys the clients only about 20-30 seconds of interaction".While these girls, between the ages of 22 and 35, are officially listed as singers, in reality, only one or two actually sing -- most, like Khan, just carry singer IDs to stay within legal bounds.The setup is simple: flash the money, and the bar girl approaches and spends time with the patron.advertisementWith 1990s Hindi songs blaring through the speakers, conversation inside the bars often means leaning in close, something many male patrons mistake for solicitation. Khan, who works at Hotel New Ocean (name changed) in Mumbai Central, acknowledged that some girls do solicit, depending on how wealthy a customer appears. For her, the transaction is usually simple: the bigger the note, the longer the small talk.Some, however, even engage in sex work outside the bar, in a private setting, Khan said. She herself is open to sex work but draws a line, saying, "I choose my clients".Mumbai-based advocate Surbhi Agarwal, who has extensive experience working with bar dancers, however, cautions against generalisations. "It's a mistake to assume that every woman in this profession experiences the same conditions as Aanam Khan," she explains."Many are still forced into working at bars and engaging in sex work. As per my experience, women in such circumstances often adapt to their environment, and even to misery. It's how the human mind works. All the trauma rises to the surface when you rehabilitate them. And it doesn't really leave," Agarwal told India Today Digital.advertisementTHE GREY ZONE: INSIDE DANGEROUS TRADE BEHIND ORCHESTRA BARSBut even if, for the "bar girls" or "singers", business seems as usual, it's not the same for all like Khan. For many others, especially trafficked girls from Nepal, Bangladesh, or Indian states like Jharkhand and Odisha, the scene is far more perilous, as they are forced into the trade with little agency. They are trapped by meagre earnings, and depend on the bar or hotel, and there is no clear way out."The new girls, who are kidnapped and forced into this business, don't understand how things work. They get a small cut from the bar they work at. The hotel provides them with food, but the money is never enough to escape that world. Girls from Nepal, Bangladesh, and even Indian states like Jharkhand and Odisha are brought here and pushed into this trade," a Mumbai Police officer, who has handled many cases related to bar girls and sex workers in Kamathipura, India's second-largest red-light district, which also has at least five orchestra bars nearby, told India Today Digital on condition of anonymity.In 2005, Maharashtra banned dance bars, citing concerns over morality, crime, and exploitation, pushing thousands of women out of steady employment. Although dancing remains illegal, loopholes have created a grey zone where many women operate under constant scrutiny, with limited protection and greater vulnerability to exploitation and harassment.advertisementThough legally barred from dancing, Khan and other industry insiders told India Today Digital that many bar girls still perform behind closed doors to earn more, making them frequent targets of police raids. In fact, every month this year has seen orchestra bars in the news: from over 70 women booked in Saki Naka in June to arrests in Vashi, Ulhasnagar, and Thane, even drawing political heat in January when a bar video was falsely linked to a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader.It must be noted that while the Supreme Court's January 2019 ruling recommended certain restrictions, allowing conditional reopening of dance bars with several safeguards, the Maharashtra government has continued its crackdown, targeting bars that now operate as orchestra bars.NEW FACE OF BAR GIRLS BEYOND THE OLD STEREOTYPESThe women who work at dance bars present a different and changing picture of the underground scene today. It may be superficial, but there is seemingly a tiny shift towards empowerment. Khan, for instance, owns two flagship phones, has an OTT platform subscription, and learns make-up techniques from YouTube, an uncommon phenomenon in a community usually seen as subjugated.Like Khan, another bar girl, also from a lineage of Tawaifs (who spoke on condition of anonymity to a well-placed source), described the scene at a Grant Road establishment near Congress House.Payal (name changed), who supplements her bar income with private dance sessions at Rs 1,000 per song, in a private setting around the bar, said her workplace has a tight community for both bar girls and sex workers, and they look after each other. She told India Today Digital that the special part of this private setting is that there are always "some men" outside the bars, who apparently act as "women's bodyguards".Once revered for their artistry in music, dance, poetry, and etiquette, tawaifs have been miscast due to colonial stigma, with many of their descendants now facing exploitation and being pushed into sex work.Varsha Kale, honorary president of the Dance Bar Girls' Association, told India Today Digital that bar girls are far more empowered than in the 1990s. "They are earning 60-70% of their floor income and benefiting from social media exposure, unlike earlier times when they were exploited through fixed salaries".But of course, this is only true for a fortunate few, like Khan or Payal.LEGALISING DANCE BARS COULD MEAN SAFETY AND SYSTEM FOR ALL: INDUSTRYRamashankar Yadav, of the industry body, the Performance Bar Committee, also stated that, if legalised, dance bars would operate far more safely and systematically than in the early 2000s."Bar owners now understand the importance of fair treatment of bar girls," he said."While past cases involved a lot of abuse, today's laws and social media access ensure better protection, like pick-up and drop services in mini-buses, meals in the bars they work at, and fixed working hours for performers," Yadav told India Today Digital."Not all bars comply perfectly, but the progress the industry has made is undeniable. Legalisation would bring even greater professionalism to the industry," Yadav added.Another office-bearer of the Performance Bar Committee, Uday Shetty, said that strict bar timings hurt business in a city known for nightlife."The government is very strict about timings for most orchestra bars. But Mumbai isn't like other Indian cities. It's known for its nightlife. If they allowed dance bars, it would boost the industry tremendously," Shetty explained.AHAR executive secretary Rajendra Bakshi said legalising dance bars is about protecting rights and livelihoods too."We are advocating for the legalisation of dance bars as they provide employment for so many people. This is not merely about the revenue they bring in. It is about upholding the rights of the people and supporting those connected to the industry," Bakshi explained.As the industry makes a case for legalisation through better safeguards and professional practices, the debate continues beyond just economic benefits. The question of dignity, agency, and long-term well-being of the women involved lies at the heart of this complex conversation.DUALITY OF OPINIONS ON BAR GIRLSSimilar to the tussle between the apex court and the Maharashtra government, there is duality in experts' opinions, too.Aaboo Varghese, founder of the non-profit Purnata, said bar dancers face challenges similar to those of sex workers he has worked with for decades. "Pushing the industry underground doesn't end the demand. It creates hidden networks and increases the vulnerability to trafficking. Many women in this profession are already in debt, so there is hardly any way out," Varghese told India Today Digital.According to him, regular inspection of bars, financial protection legally, and simultaneously fostering alternative livelihoods offer a path forward.However, Kale argued that restricting bar girls is just another way of suppressing women."Why did the government issue licences in the first place if they were meant to be banned? If dance bars are legalised today, the bar economy will thrive because of people's curiosity. I often hear people say, 'Dance bars toh hamaare Mumbai aane se pehle hi bandh ho gaye'. Despite the ban, bars have mushroomed all over the place. It's a need that won't disappear," she added.- EndsMust Watch