This is the freakonomics of the Mumbai dance bar

“In a major decision that will impact hundreds of establishments and thousands of women who worked in them, the Supreme Court today struck down a decision by the Maharashtra government to ban dance bars. The ban, enforced by the Maharashtra government in August 2005, was struck down by the Bombay High Court in 2006 but the state government had filed an appeal in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had ordered that the establishments would remain shut until its final verdict,” we had reported yesterday .

It’s the return of good times for not just the dancing girls at the dance bars, with the benefits of the Supreme Court order accruing to many sections of the city’s economy.

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[caption id=“attachment_962839” align=“alignright” width=“380”]  It’s the return of good times for not just the dancing girls at the dance bars. Reuters[/caption]

Before one gets to who will gain from the decision and the sheer size of the opportunity, for the benefit of those who haven’t been to a dance bar, let us describe the experience and what they’re like.

As you approach a dance bar, you know it is one - because loud, garish neon signs will tell you so. Outside the gate, you see a couple of valets and at least one bouncer disguised as a doorman. All, of course, are in uniform.

The bar could be as small as 500 sq ft or as large as 10,000 sq ft.

The larger ones have various offerings at various price points. You could sit in a large room, where you are one of perhaps 100 guests, or you could choose to pay a premium for the exclusivity of a smaller room, where you are one of just a dozen or so guests.

Back to the experience, beginning from the time you’re outside the dance bar.The doorman lets you in, and, immediately, you are led by one of the managers or assistant managers to a table (or to a room of your choice).

The first thing that hits you is the quality of the music. Dance bars make major investments in audio equipment. After all, the audio is the perfect foil to the dancers. It’s not uncommon to see Bose speakers, for example. After the sound, you are stunned by light. Every bar, even the small ones, splurge a small fortune on lighting. The airconditioning is always efficient, sometimes more efficient than you want it. As you look around at the creeps like yourself in the bar, you cannot help but notice the girls (actually you would have noticed them first). The girls are dressed in clearly expensive clothes, not the kind you could buy on the footpaths of Fashion Street. Most of the clothes, you would learn if you care to, are tailored.

Then you notice the staff. Even the smallest of the dance bars will have at least 5 ‘managers’ dressed in suits and another 5 waiters. The larger ones, such as Topaz, would have at least 30 managers and 50 waiters. Service is quick and efficient. After all, they make a small fortune on whatever you drink. The operative word is whatever - even a Coke or Pepsi could set you back a couple of hundred rupees. If you don’t drink alcohol, too bad; you still pay alcohol prices.

For the sake of brevity, I’ll cut the experience short. You’re done with the bar and you leave for home or wherever else you need to go. You step outside, and there are taxis (or auto-rickshaws if you’re in the suburbs) by the dozen. Most will refuse you, as they are ‘booked’ for the dancing girls.

So what does all this have to do with the headline?

Here goes. I connect some dots and give you an idea of a few sections of our society, other than the dance bar girls, who profit from the Supreme Court verdict.

All calculations are based on a presumptions that a) there will be 2500 bars in Mumbaiand b) the average size of a bar is 2500 sq ft.

Now for the math, which I will not waste time on. There are 25,000 waiters who need to be in uniform, 12,500 managers who need to be suited, 75,000 dancers who need expensive-ish outfits through the year (and multiple outfits just for each evening), 2,500 sets of audio equipment, 25,000 tonnes of air-conditioning, 12,500 auto/cab drivers who are to some extent dependent on the dance bars and 2,50,000 bulbs that will be bought. I added the bulbs just for fun.

And I haven’t even mentioned the alcohol companies, the food, the snacks, the furniture.

And you thought it was good news just for the dancers?