CHANGING ESSENCE OF ITEM SONGS

IN INDIAN CINEMA
OBJECTIVE

To study the progression of item songs in the Indian Cinema. what it used to be and what it is in today’s
scenario….
An item number or an item song, in Indian cinema, is a musical performance that has little to do with
the film in which it appears, but is presented to showcase beautiful dancing women, to lend support
to the marketability of the film.

Making a gradual progression from cabarets, kothaas, discos and now almost everywhere — even a
train top — item numbers have become an essential part of Bollywood.

An item number, in its earliest avatar, wasn’t endorsed by leading ladies. Only vamps or dancers
making special appearances graced these tracks until a decade or two ago.
The first major dancing star was Helen who ruled the cabaret scene in the Forties and Fifties.
The very affable Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu (Howrah Bridge, 1958) was Helen’s highroad to
Bollywood. An instant crowd puller, a Helen sequence in a movie guaranteed full house – a
phenomenon unseen for any vamp preceding or succeeding her. Never shy to experiment,
Helen’s dramatic eye makeup, flashy ensembles and outlandish props accentuated the feel of her
songs.

Helen’s songs gave Bollywood a real taste of hedonism, and Bindu and Aruna Irani’s tracks
took it to the next level.
When Heroines took over
The trend of heroines appearing in masaaledaar tracks began with the likes of Zeenat Aman
(Qurbani in 1980, Shalimar in 1978), Parveen Babi (Shaan in 1980, Namak Halaal in 1982) and
Rekha (Jaanbaaz in 1986) was taken forward by Madhuri Dixit (Khalnayak in 1993,Shailaab in
1990), Urmila Matondkar (China Gate in 1998, Lajja in 2001), Raveena Tandon (Rakshak in
1996) and Sonali Bendre (Bombay, 1995) in the next generation.
In the new millennium, every major and minor actress gracing the silver screen has had a special
performance — by now known as item number.

Right from Koena Mitra to Katrina Kaif, Shilpa Shetty to Kareena Kapoor — each one of them
has succumbed to the lure of an item number.
As for the performances, they come in all flavours: a rustic UP Bihar Lootne (Shool, 1999), a
smoky Mahi Ve (Kaante, 2002), a wild Khallas (Company, 2002), a flirty Kajraa Re (Bunty Aur
Babli, 2005) and an exotic Maiyya Maiyya (Guru, 2007).
Hence one doesn’t need a Bindu to swing to Beedi (Omkara, 2006) as Bipasha is right here to
take care of it. For every Aruna, there is an Aishwarya. For every Padma there is a Priyanka.
And for every Helen there’s a Malaika.
Sure, there are item number specialists like Malaika Arora-Khan herself, Yana Gupta and Rakhi
Sawant, but they haven’t been able to hold the slot exclusively
An item number, in its early form, began like a Gharana culture — suggestive of a specific
system and style. But now it has opened up to all and variety.
So there is an experimental Chaiyyan Chaiyyan (Dil Se, 1998) happening on the top of a train,
or a Munni Badnaam (Dabangg, 2010) with the most peculiar lyrics, or even an item boy out
to hearten the female audience in Dard-e-disco (Om Shanti Om, 2007). Even global artistes
like Samantha Fox, Tata Young and Kylie Minogue, too, make random entry to add a ‘new’
dimension to an item number
Final words
At last we can say that- there’s loads of gloss being introduced but with the sheer number
taking over, the one thing that has gone missing is soul. Most of these item songs and item
girls enter into the picture for no rhyme and rhythm. Even though the songs are peppy; the
energy is infectious and the girls are fabulous to look at, but very few have a timeless feel to
them.

Rarely does one find a theatrical Aaj Ki Raat Koi Aane Ko Hai (Anamika, 1973) with tales
interwoven to it, or the mysterious undertones of Oh Haseena Zulfon Waali (Teesri Manzil,
1966), or the looming exposure a Husn Ke Laakhon Rang (Johnny Mera Naam, 1970)
displays, when Padma Khanna performs a striptease.
Each of these dance numbers were sizzlers of the top order with the most scintillating
women appearing in them — yet with a sense of reason. And that, perhaps, made all the
difference……..

If the term item number was a fashion label, it would have been the one whose distinction
has moved from haute couture to prêt-à-porter.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ebsco.com
pixelonomics.com
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
cylive.com