New Delhi, Jan. 30 -- The nightclub in the 1950s and the '60s was often framed as a gangster's den with diegetic performances by dance bands with a sonically amplified performance by the lead singer, who made eye contact with the guests and danced with abandon. In Baazi (1951), the hero meets the guitar-playing Leena (Geeta Bali) singing "Tadbeer se bigdi hui tadbeer bana le." Sung by Geeta Dutt, the song begins with "he he he he he," a musical gesture that hails the noir hero to stay and try out his luck in the gambling den. In Awaara (1951), "Ek do teen/123" frames Cuckoo singing and dancing in a smoke-filled den of gambling men as Raj and Jagga watch her performance. Shamshad Begum's voice for Cuckoo competes for attention as we hear t...