Chippendales: The Indian strip club tycoon whose murder put an end to his US business
Not typically associated with an Indian-American immigrant, muscled males with bow ties and G-strings wooing women in smoky bars is the legacy of this ethnic group.
But when he created the male strip club Chippendales in Los Angeles in 1979, Mumbai-born Steve Banerjee turned the conventional South Asian American Dream on its head.
The rest is history; Banerjee amassed wealth from what ultimately became a tremendously lucrative franchise. When murder, drugs, and sex are added, Banerjee’s tale takes on the characteristics of a sensational fable.
Banerjee is not well known in India, nor is his body of work. The Chippendales brand looks to have surpassed the legacy of its contentious founder in the US. That is currently altering.
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According to historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, whose podcast, Welcome to Your Fantasy, rekindled interest in the Chippendales’ history, he is “a unique aspect of the story.” Banerjee was a stark contrast.
However, Banerjee had higher aspirations. When individuals pulled up to fill up their posh cars, he would say, “I want to be driving that car,” recalls Petrzela.
Banerjee used his savings to acquire Destiny II, a slum club in LA, in the 1970s. To entice customers, he attempted everything from backgammon tournaments to magic acts to female mud wrestling.
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In 1979, Paul Snider, a nightclub organiser, recommended that Banerjee hire male dancers for a show marketed to women. Male strippers are typically only seen in gay clubs.
However, Banerjee had higher aspirations. When individuals pulled up to fill up their posh cars, he would say, “I want to be driving that car,” recalls Petrzela.
