There's dance, money and all that Topaz
[ Saturday, February 14, 2004 04:04:43 amTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
Swaying to the tune of popular Hindi music, Richa makes for a rather enticing
visual. Her enviably stunning looks held the middle aged businessman rapt, as he
lavished bundles of ten rupees notes on her. And these very marble floors had
reportedly witnessed Abdul Karim Telgi showering huge sums as well.
Welcome to Topaz, the plush dance bar that has emerged as a favourite haunt for
not only the likes of Telgi but politicians, corporates, diamond merchants,
sharebrokers, film industry people, foreign tourists, media people as well as
visiting foreign cricketers. For most of these visitors, this has become a way
of life. "Sab type ke log aate hai, woh kya kehte hai? high profile wale
bhi,” informs Raveena, who works at this up-market dance bar of south-central
Mumbai. "And some do spend a lot of money."
The mediocre exterior is not an indication of what is in store for the visitor.
Topaz offers an opulant ambience. From gilded marble decorations, ornate glass
and mirror work, to expensive drapes and tapestry — there is little compromise
when it came to the aesthetics to develop the right settings.
Even the kitchen is pure stainless steel. Though its clientele includes some of
the who's who of Mumbai, the bar caters to people from even the humbler
stations. While the three mujra or VIP halls are open to the affluent, there is
one for the commoners as well. As for the really top notch clients, separate
rooms are made available. " The place offers facilities as per one's pocket
permits," says Vinod Parekh, a regular.
Though the bouncers move around discreetly, a sudden move on the part of the not
so regular customer calls for immediate attention, followed by a battery of
questions. Given the moneyed clients, who are willing to spend as much as one
lakh a month, the bar ensures that the girls are some of the best in business.
"They are very particular about the quality," says Parekh.
"The correct height, figure and looks are very crucial." While for
some girls, their earnings run upto a lakh a month, for others it is a minimum
of Rs 10,000.
The opulence fails to hide the trauma manifested on the faces of the young
girls, some barely out of their teens. Be it brightly lit make-up rooms or the
dance floor, the struggle for survival is evident. For most visitors, the
pleasure extends to splurging and holding hands, and for the privileged few,
well, we leave it your imagination.
(All names have been changed)
[Times of India, Saturday, February 14, 2004]