So these songs obviously are doing what they are meant to." "I watched Kaal only because Shah Rukh Khan did an item number in it. "Performing an item number helps the actors to stay current, although sometimes many of the top stars do it as a favour to the directors," says D. In the past decade, male actors have also made appearances in item songs, including Shah Rukh Khan ( Kaal, 2005) and Hrithik Roshan ( Krazzy 4, 2008). "But these songs are slowly becoming more about the music and the choreography and less about the girl," says Bhambra. In recent years, similar criticism has been directed at several films with raunchy item numbers. When Helen's performance premiered in theatres, both the actress and the film producers were criticised for supposedly objectifying women. Item numbers have also long been a target of controversy. "Besides the monetary gain, it keeps these actresses in the public eye and in directors' minds ," D explains. Mallika Sherawat admitted to receiving 10 million rupees (Dh660,000) to dance to the song Kalasala Kalasala in the 2011 film Osthi, a Tamil remake of Dabangg. The past decade, however, has seen even established actresses, such as Kareena Kapoor ( Ra One, 2011) and Vidya Balan ( Ferrari Ki Sawaari, 2012), taking advantage of the trend's capability to catapult their careers to great heights.Ī-list actresses are paid large amounts of money to perform such sequences, especially since the producers regard them as an "investment". In the 1980s and 1990s, item numbers were seen as a way for newcomers to break into the film industry. "My favourite is the actress Malaika Arora Khan in the song Munni Badnam Hui from the Salman Khan-starrer Dabangg." "Bollywood really is all about music, so what better way than to market a film with a song that people can't get out of their heads? Pair the song with an attractive girl, and the film is a winner," says Bhambra. The trend has lent big support to Hindi films, according to Jasleen Bhambra, a professional Indian dancer based in London: item numbers attract more viewers, leading to high ticket sales, which translate into enormous earnings for the producers and studios, who then invest in new projects. "Even if her fans are not interested in the film, they will go to see it for her performance," says D. In fact, the performance gained more awards than the film itself, including a Zee Cine Award for best choreography. "Katrina Kaif is an excellent example of someone who attracts a large number of people to a film when she does an item number," says Sunny D, a guitarist for the UK-based Asian band The 107, and an avid Bollywood fan.Īlthough Kaif's 2010 comedy Tees Maar Khan did not do well at the box office, her song Sheila Ki Jawani was a big hit in record stores, on the radio and among web downloads. Since then, the Hindi film industry has showcased thousands of item numbers - highly choreographed, titillating performances to a catchy song - that have no bearing on the films in which they appear, being only a marketing tool to attract audiences. In 1958, the actress Helen Jairag Richardson, better known by her screen name Helen, performed Bollywood's first "item song", the now well-known Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu, in the film Howrah Bridge.
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