6.4 Damyanti Biswas: The Murky World Of Mumbai's Dance Bars

Imagine a crowded railway station where an attractive stranger catches your eye. A train passes by and– they’re gone!In this episode, Michelle sits down with Damyanti Biswas to discuss her book ‘The Blue Bar’, as it unpacks the disappearance of a woman dressed in a blue sequined saree from a crowded Mumbai railway station and how, 13 years later, a trail of murders begin with nothing to show for it- except blue sequins. They discuss how Damyanti sat in railway stations watching trains as part of her research, how she obsessively read about bar dancers, and why The Blue Bar is a Mumbai novel, through and through. In this exciting partnership series with Jaico Publishing House, we are featuring fascinating new authors every month, writers that captivate the audience and bring forth a revolutionary perspective to Indian literature.What secrets and terrible crimes lie behind the glamor of Bollywood, dance bars, and mangroves in Mumbai? Tune in to find out!Books and authors mentioned in this episode:Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay’s Dance Bars - Sonia FaleiroThe Last Courtesan - Manish GaekwadMaximum City: Bombay Lost and Found - Suketu MehtaShantaram - Gregory David RobertsSacred Games - Vikram ChandraThe Secret of More - Tejaswini Apte-RahmManjhi’s Mayhem - Tanuj SolankiMovies mentioned in this episode:Chandni Bar - Madhur Bhandarkar (Director)Applications for The Bound Publishing Course 2026 are now open.The Bound Publishing Course is a 3-month intensive course on book, magazine, and digital publishing. Through live sessions, workshops, and industry-facing projects, participants gain practical publishing skills and exposure to careers across the industry.Cohort size: 50 seatsFirst round of acceptances: 15th June 2026Applications are reviewed on a rolling bas‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.