I.M. Sahai does a recce of the famous Parisian nightclub, that’s spawned a hit.

THE film Moulin Rouge, so much in the news these days and being released by Fox Studios worldwide (including India), has drawn the spotlight once again on the old and famous nightclub by that name in Paris.

82, Boulevard de Clichy is a known location in that metro, for that is where Moulin Rouge (which means the Red Mill) has existed for over a century. Each evening, hordes of tourists and pleasure seekers descend on the area where it is located, which also happens to be the red light district, Place Pigalle. The better-off among the visitors, mostly from out of town (and country), however, head for the famous nightclub, with the model of the red windmill on its terrace. Most visitors have to be patient and await their turn in long queues for entry to Moulin Rouge’s first stage show, which starts at nine in the night.

The restaurant seeks to cater to multiple tastes and thus the show packages a variety. It includes music, acrobatics and circus acts, but the visitors treat these as mere side items. They come mainly to see its topless dancers, performing in a succession of revues. Each artiste is carefully selected by the organisers for her looks, height, figure and dancing ability and then put through her paces rigorously. Not all are from the French mainland. France had colonies in North Africa, Indo-China and South Pacific. So in the collection of dancers, you can see white, black and pale skins, picked mainly out of immigrants (no browns, but the day may not be far off).

Each show must have a couple of items of can-can, for that is what had given Moulin Rouge its exclusivity and fame after it was opened way back in the year 1886. In the closed societies of those times, the sight of young, scantily (but most colourfully) attired dancers flouncing on the stage and kicking high, must have been magnetic. At that time, the can-can dancers also came down to the tables, mixed with the patrons and tried to create a friendly atmosphere. While that does not happen now, can-can continues to be the piece de resistance of the evening.

Moulin Rouge also labels its shows. The package currently on starring 100 artistes, is called Feerie (enchantment). The show that it had put on for its centenary celebrations some years back was called Formidable — having seen it, I can assure you it lived up to its name! However, it is to the nightclub’s credit that none of its items cross the thin line which separates risque from vulgar. Naughty? oui! Smutty? non!

When it had started, Moulin Rouge was patronised mainly by poor artists who, hanging around the Montmartre district of Paris could barely afford a full meal. They warmed mainly on cheap wine and were entertained by the floozies who were out to make a quick buck. The aura of the time was well-created in a ’50s Hollywood movie Moulin Rouge, on the life of a 19th century painter, Toulouse-Lautrec. The French artist, all of four feet tall, virtually lived there and his paintings (or their reproductions) still adorn the walls of Moulin Rouge. The movie gave fame to the nightclub and a boost to tourism in the area. The new movie (on a similar but different theme), starring Nicole Kidman, will undoubtedly carry that fame to the current generation.

Moulin Rouge certainly cashes in on its success. Entry into the nightclub is not cheap. There are two types of tickets. The less costly one (about Rs 3,500) entitles one to a round of drinks and a seat at the Bar (if and when available), as one watches the show. The costlier one, around Rs 5,000-6,000 (depending on one of the three menus), is for a table and dinner. The cuisine, mostly French, is excellent (though there is not much for the veggies).

To further lighten your pocket, there are photographers on the move. You can get your keepsake photo taken (in one of three sizes); it can also be imprinted on a box of paper matches. The nightclub also has a boutique full of mementoes on sale. The well-known black logo of Moulin Rouge (with the letters ‘M’ and ‘U’ in red), and occasionally the drawing of a can-can dancer, is embossed on each article: bags, T-shirt, shorts (down to the more basic garments). Newsweek magazine reported recently that Moulin Rouge earned US $ 30 million (about Rs 140 crore) last year, up 30 per cent from the preceding year. What a loot!

Moulin Rouge has to fight many battles. It strives to keep its entertainment clean, in an area which is otherwise sordid in fare. In fact, there are are a number of seedy joints, all located around the same ‘Place’, which seek to attract the un-rich tourists (or overflow from Moulin Rouge), with raunchy items of their own. Moulin Rouge also faces competition from other nightclubs, which are big, respectable and similar to it, and have come up over the years in some parts of Paris: Lido, located on the popular and fashionable Champs d’Elysee, swears by its own night show — and had brought it even to this country.

But for the habitues of Moulin Rouge, there’s nothing else in comparison: c’est magnifique, and the only one!