Wednesday, April 10, 2019

I : Item Songs in Hindi Films / Bollywood #AtoZChallenge 2019

I can safely conclude that millions of people would have heard the song 'Baby Doll'  but not many would recall that it was from the film Ragini MMS 2. In fact not many will remember even the plot of this film. This song was such a huge hit. It was beautifully choreographed. The music video was of high standards. The lyrics and music were excellent, given it was an item song. Sunny Leone was the lead performer in the song, adding to its oomph quotient. The song was so popular but almost irrelevant to the plot of the film. But it helped attract audiences to the cinema halls. The movie was a hit because of this song. That is the definition of an item song for those unfamiliar with Hindi Films. It is a song added to a film to enhance its attractiveness, and to help in film promotions. Mostly this song has nothing to do with the plot of the film. Sometimes it does. 



There is so much written about these item songs! So many news articles and blog posts have been dedicated to the relevance of  these item songs or the lack of it. They have been criticized as well for their blatant objectification of women. Though there have been few items songs with male leads too.  Like Dard-e-Disco from the film Om Shanti Om had Shahrukh Khan gyrating. So to write about the most well entrenched cliche of Bollywood - item songs - is itself a cliche. Therefore I have decided to only talk about the journey of item songs over the years. There are three well defined phases according to me. These phases may not necessarily always hold, but they largely define the three distinct transformations. 

Helen / Vamp Era

Period : 1950's to 1980's 
Dancers: Helen was one of the most popular dancers for item songs in this era. Mostly performed by the vamp or gangster's moll in the film
Dance Forms: Cabaret, Mujra, Tribal / Banjara numbers
Performance Areas: They were usually performed in a bar or in a villain's den

These dances were mostly set to the upbeat tunes of R D Burman songs. This was an era when it was made very clear to the audiences, that item songs are performed by bad girls and heroines only dance on classical and semi-classical songs. This was an era when clearly there was no Grey. Only Black and White.

Watch this one from the movie Teesri Manzil, a great item song from that era. 




Madhuri Dixit / Heroine Era

Period : 1980's to 2000's 
Dancers: Madhuri Dixit was one of the most popular dancers for item songs in this era. Now mainstream heroines used to perform in these songs. There was no taboo associated any more with the item numbers. 
Dance Forms: Well the dance forms took a beating in this era and let us safely call this an era, where mish-mash of various dance forms - both Indian (folk and classical) and Western -  led to the rise of a form what is now popularly known as Bollywood dance.
Performance Areas: They were usually performed on a stage or in a villain's den. Yes! villain's den is like a cockroach in Hindi Films. It never dies. 

These songs were mostly composed by the likes of composer duo Laxmikant - Pyarelal, who relied on heavy orchestration for such numbers. This was an era, when the heroine took things in her own control and didn't share the limelight with any vamp. 

Watch this one from the movie Tezaab, a song that made Madhuri Dixit a superstar. 




Random Foreign Girls / Unknowns Era

Period : 2000's till now
Dancers: A Hindi film started having multiple item numbers. There is a title song and then there is an end credits song. But the quintessential item number featuring unknown foreign girls started a new trend. Heroines have their own item songs. And these unknown white girls have their own. 
Dance Forms: Your guess!
Performance Areas: They are usually performed in discos or sets that only Bollywood guys can imagine. Villain's dens still exist. 

These songs are mostly remixes of erstwhile hit songs, done by Tanishk Bagchi, who has made a career out of remixing old songs. This is an era where item songs don't have a sole proprietorship of either a heroine or a vamp. 

Watch this remix of a song titled Dilbar, used as an item number in the movie Satyameva Jayate. By the way just to inform you, the original Dilbar, was an item number in the movie Sirf Tum. It seems like item songs have a life of their own.




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