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In Indian some straight bars chase the pink paisa

» Marketing to gays

In at least one part of Indian straight bars stage gay or ‘metrosexual’ nights only in an effort to stave off insolvency.

A club featuring gay night has one peculiar quality — a desperate nightclub owner.

Desperate because the gay night is not evidence of progressivism — it is a sign of dwindling finances.

For the owner, it is Sunset Boulevard: with himself as protagonist, disco strobes as light design, and gay men as crooning extras.

With stiff competition, Cinderella deadlines, exorbitant taxes, and a hostile police force — heterosexual club culture in Mumbai is treading on thin ice. Which is where gay men come skating in.

Priced anywhere between Rs 400 to Rs 500 per head, and with a guaranteed turnout of around 250 to 400 people, a gay night offers financial relief for a passé dance club.

Gay and abandoned

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