An “item” refers to an object or inventory. In Indian context, it is also used as a slang to refer to a beautiful, sexy or sensual girl. An “item song” refers to a song in a Bollywood movie where sexy women dance to catchy tunes. Item songs are not new. They have a vast history with many famous women like Helen sizzling onscreen in songs like “mehbooba , mehbooba”/ “piya tu abb toh aa jaa” etc.
Recently, the trend of item songs has really caught on. Bollywood has a queer habit of copying every successful formula. So, once songs like “khallas” (from company) caught the fancy of public, item songs became an inherent part of cinema. Today, they have become a promotional necessity. Almost all movies have a hot sleazy number with catchy music and vulgar/double meaning lyrics. Once a song catches on, the movie gains much more hype. Some songs can actually pull people to watch the movie- even if they leave just as the song ends. These songs can/cannot have a relation to the script. They can come in between or at the end with crew names. This gives a lot of room for “experimentation.”
What sets item songs apart is that 90% of them have female lead. She is, by rule, barely dressed. Mostly, she is the sole girl in a huge group of men where each one is openly lusting after her. She knows this and provocates them further with suggestive dance moves. It is a no brainer that these songs objectify women completely. Just the word “item” makes that clear. A woman is reduced to an object who exists for male sexual gratification. What is even more bothersome is the fact that these songs promote an attitude/ notion that it is ok to openly lust after a woman because she will enjoy the attention and reciprocate it somehow. This lust leads to harassment in no time. Every time a new song catches on, eve teasers use it to the full extent. Ask any woman and she will tell you how many times she has been referred to as “chikni chameli”/ “bijli”/”munni” etc. Don’t even talk about unfortunate women by the name of “Sheila”. The words “ki jawaani” have become an almost permanent fixture, like a surname, to their names. With competition between these songs rising up, filmmakers have adopted an easy way out. The more indecent and vulgar the song is, the more it will stand out. And there is no end in sight for this downhill spiral. Woman performers of such songs gain popularity as “item girls.” Indeed many have made a career out of it. The disheartening fact is that they become synonymous with sex. They are not seen as an actress/performer who can have a personality different from the one portrayed onscreen. Nobody takes note of their intelligence or talent, once people see skin, their eyes freeze on it. We are indeed animalistic.
Another terrifying point is that kids pick up on these songs very easily. When asked to recite a poem, a child can innocently break into one of these item songs. If he/she keeps hearing them all the time, it is not a surprise that they know these songs by heart. Children might not comprehend the meaning of the lyrics, but they can copy the gyrative dance moves easily. This has to be a dangerous environment for our children to grow up in.
It is a matter of debate if cinema reciprocates society or society reciprocates cinema. In the case of item songs, it is definitely the latter. The fact that one can hear them everywhere from a barber shop to an auto ride helps integrate it into our own psyche. These songs paint a dangerous portrait of a woman. I shudder at the thought of a woman who would love to jump right in the middle of lust eyed men as done by Katrina Kaif in “chikni chameli”. She will surely be grotesquely raped in no time. The songs create a fantasy world where her moves have no further implications on her safety from not one but hundreds of men. No woman can enjoy dancing in such an environment. Sadly, many believe in the illusion. No wonder these songs are a major contributing reason for sexual harassment.
no harassment 