Tarannum Khan (Bar Dancer) Age, Boyfriend, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Tarannum Khan

• Tarannum Khan is an Indian bar dancer who gained popularity in 2003 for being the bar dancer whom Abdul Karim Telgi, an Indian counterfeiter accused of masterminding the stamp paper counterfeiting scam, fell in love with.

• Tarannum Khan was born and brought up in a Muslim family in Mumbai and used to live with her parents in the Andheri area, where her father ran a small shop.

• There were six people in her family, including Tarannum, her brother, her sister, and her niece. They struggled a lot because the income coming from the ship was not enough.

• During the 1992 Bombay riots, their home and shop were robbed after which the entire family was left homeless. They had no choice but to stay in a relief camp in Milat Nagar, Andheri.

• Tarannum’s father had a heart attack and was bedridden due to the situation.

• After losing their home, her family was compelled to live on the streets for three nights, with no food or shelter, in the Lokhandwala area. After three nights on the street, her mother decided to do any type of work to buy food for her kids.

• After completing her formal studies, she did many menial jobs, but it was not enough to afford meals and the medical expenses of her parents.

• Later, a woman approached her and told her that she could earn money by dancing in the bar. Initially, her family did not like the idea of her dancing, but because she was just 12th pass, her parents agreed to it. This led Tarannum to start working at a dance bar. She joined Deepa Bar in Mumbai.
  

  Picture of Deepa bar where Tarannum Khan worked

• She started dancing at bars when she was just 16 years old and was known as the most beautiful bar girl in Mumbai. She was famous for looking like actress, Madhuri Dixit.

• While she was working there, she quickly gained popularity, and people used to travel from far away to see her dance.

• She used to return home at 6 in the morning, have breakfast, and then go to bed at 7. She used to wake up at 4 in the evening, get ready to head to the bar and work there for 14 hours every day.

• As a bar dancer, she used to earn Rs. 8,000 to 10,000.

• When she was 16 years old, she visited Dubai to perform on stage.

• When she started earning a good income, someone suggested her to file tax returns, but she was very young and did not understand taxes and saving money. She hired the same accountant who managed Deepa Bar’s finances. Unfortunately, due to her lack of knowledge and the accountant’s unprofessionalism, she used to get misguided on financial matters.

• In an interview, she said that before the raid, she used to think that everything was going well, but after she was released, she realised that she was misguided by her own CA. She also apologized for not following the law. She clarified that her delay was not intentional, but rather because she didn’t know better.

• After the raid on Tarannum’s house, the Mumbai government put a ban on bar dancers which left many dancers jobless.

• According to Mumbai Police sources, Abdul Karim Telgi, the main suspect in the stamp paper scam 2003, was in love with her and spent more than Rs. 90 lakh on her on 31 December 2001.

• In 2006, a film titled ‘Deepa Ki Tarannum’ was made by producer Ranjit Sharma, which was based on the life of Tarannum. She moved to court stating that the producer had not sought her permission to make a film on her life.

• In 2014, another film titled ‘Mumbai Can Dance Saalaa’ was released which was based on the raid on Tarannum’s house.

• In 2023, ‘Scam 2003: The Telgi Story,’ an Indian Hindi-language biographical financial thriller television series was released on SonyLIV. The series was directed by Hansal Mehta. It was based on the life of her lover, Abdul Karim Telgi.