Female Bouncer of Hauz Khas

Hauz Khas is one of the most famous watering hole in India’s capital. Mehrunnisha Shokat Ali of Social Hauz Khas, may be confused with other visitors of this particular neighbourhood in Delhi.

But one look at her kohl-rimmed eyes, as she remains standing straight, with folded hands, on the edge of the dance floor in a completely black outfit, watching couples weave and spin to the music, gives a hint to her real occupation. She is the Social’s popular female bouncer.

Mehrunnisha has been a bouncer for almost 10 years, and throughout the previous three years, has done 10-hour shifts at Social in the night, which works as a restaurant accommodating seating space for 220 individuals by day, yet transforms into a club at night.

Mehrunnisha by now is a master in separating bar brawls, searching female clients, and confiscating illicit drugs.

The 30-year-old Mehrunnisha is also popular for having worked as a piece of the security detail for Bollywood actresses, for example, Priyanka Chopra, the star of the U.S. TV serial “Quantico”, in addition to Preity Zinta and Vidya Balan.

Mehrunnisha also has much experience in crushing generalizations of the society about her.

Experiencing childhood in a large Muslim family in the town of Saharanpur, 200 km from Delhi, she longed to join the armed force or becoming a cop, however her profoundly conservative father restricted her from doing so. It was her mom’s request which enabled her to continue her education past elementary school.

In any case, when her dad’s securities exchange misfortunes constrained the family to move to the capital, Mehrunnisha, who was in college, turned into the provider for a family comprising of her parents, two sisters, and her senior sister’s three kids, other than herself.

Her younger sister, who is 27 years old, Tarannum, likewise fills in as a bouncer at a bar near her own work place. Together, they gather around 30,000 rupees a month. They take huge pride in their work and spend more than an hour at the gym every day to maintain their fitness.