When a bar dancer attended Aamir’s weddin

Last August, the state ordered all dance bars shut across Maharashtra. It left thousands of bar dancers jobless.

Some resorted to prostitution, some became waitresses at bars—and now some will enter the fringes of big, bad Bollywood.

Dressed in a cream night suit and with her hair highlighted, Rekha Chauhan (23) sits on a bed in her badly lit room and chats excitedly about her imminent entry into the world of films.

Originally from Pathankot, Punjab, she now lives in Yashodanagar, Thane. "I'm working with Aamir Khan's younger brother Hyder Ali Khan, plus I attended Aamir's wedding at Panchgani".

The film she's talking about is Deepa Ki Tarannum, a movie revolves around the life of bar dancers like Chauhan, who danced at Valentina Bar, Thane, before the dance bar ban put her out of business.

Production company 3's Company has taken on 30 former bar dancers for roles in the film. Starring Hyder (27) and Preeti Jain is expected to hit screens by the first week of May. Shooting begins on Thursday. Director Suchita Bhalla (27) says casting bar dancers will give the film authenticity and also give them the dignity of a livelihood. Chauhan once made Rs 2,000-Rs 5,000 a day from her dance bar job. Now, her daily earnings will be Rs 200, but she feels it's a first step into the magic world of cinema. "The state's decision has hit us hard," she says. "Even those of us who were not into prostitution then have got into it—we just don't have a choice". She adds, "The orchestra that plays in bars across the city is just a cover for prostitution. I have so many friends, who sing in orchestras and later sleep with customers." Out-of-work bar dancer Nisha, who now sings in a Dadar bar and also solicits men, says, "We have no other option. I have a family to support and I can't see them starving. I don't enjoy sleeping with men but those are our circumstances". Asked about the salaries of the bar dancers in their film, 3's Company's executive producer Montoo Singh, says, "We can't decide the rates paid to the bar dancers in our film, we have to follow the regulations of the Association of Film Industry." Ranjeet Sharma, also a producer with 3's Company, says he's planning another film with former bar dancers getting parts to play. "I just approached these girls who were in distress and thought it would be better to take them into my story rather than do any research," he said.

"They'll be able to reflect their life better on celluloid than any actresses."