Bollywood Item songs: Cheeky 'fun' or something more serious?

-
Figures in white and of innocence
Hmmm...Bollywood. We have the highs (the debut of the one and only, green-eyed, six-fingered human angel that is Hrithik Roshan in 2000 in Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai who is a human elastic band.) Just check out that boy-next-door smile. Why thank you. Thank you very much. *shimmies shoulders in and out*  

Aaaand...then we also have the lows. Bollywood Item Songs. *crashing thunderstorm* They really really grate my cheese. This is a recipe for a Bollywood Item Song.
 
1. Lots of men, generally in long moustaches and sweaty foreheads leering and cheering the Busty Babe on.
 
2. Said scantily-dressed Busty Babe strutting her stuff on a catwalk/stage/village clearing. In a song, she will either a) complain about her life b) sing about how sexy and unattainable she is c) make suggestive euphemisms.
 
3. Sweaty men get more excited. They clap some more. They drink some more.

YEAHH! Enjoy your tea lads. Not.
*throws shoe at T.V*
 
The main reason I am so picky about the Bollywood films I watch is because the sheer popularity of these songs just irks me. I will get to the point in the film, and then the B.I.S will start. I just find it distasteful. Perhaps it is not even the fact that it is the literal B.I.S in the film, but the principle of the male-centric gender politics, and also, the fact that some people still view it as 'normal, harmless fun.' Man= audience. Woman= entertainer. Realistically, this gender-relationship occurs in all parts of the world, and in all cultures. But that doesn't make it right, does it? Women are not Entertainers, and by the same token, it should not be 'accepted' or normalised in any way that Men ARE just these 'predator' like beings. Let's leave emancipation and issues of gender equality to one side. But what does this say about Basic. Human. Respect. I don't believe anyone, be it man or woman should be viewed as a piece of meat. It's just creepy. (Okay, I know I have a crush on Hrithik, but it's the cute type, not the MUHAHAHAAHA-ALL-MINE type)
Leer. Cheer. Leer
One case that comes to mind is the unforgettable 2012 Delhi rape. There was outrage. There were countless protests. Such passion and uproar behind this. Now I KNOW that all individuals should be responsible for their actions, but if the likes of B.I.S's and certainly other objectifying messages are going to continue to be treated in a titillating and 'exciting' manner, the message that is being portrayed is that This Behaviour Is Normal. Only it's not.
 
I'll tell you a quick anecdote. I was at a wedding, and this little girl aged 10 started giggling to her little friend next to her, saying she likes to dance like 'Sheila' when the 'Sheila Ki Jawaani' song was thumping through the speakers. Sheila. Yes. Such aspirations. *facepalm* Obviously, this little girl probably doesn't know any better, but it's sad to know that at such an impressionable age, her role model is flirty skirty Sheila, who, playing hard to get, is 'Tere haath kabhi naa aani.'
 
Which also begs the question: Why play Item songs at a wedding? It's so uncomfortable when your Mum, Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Extended Family etc etc are there, and this raunchy song is busting through the speaker. I find that weird :P Just because a sexualised song is in 'Indian', I don't see it being any more 'acceptable'!! I find it embarrassing. And...weird. Where to look? Where to look?? But seriously, imagine this situation now. You're at a wedding. And then Ciara's 'Promise' or...some other...Not Fit For Family Hearing song swells up. Imagine. *shudder*
 
Happy listening. Remember, close your eyes. You're at a wedding and your entire family is there.
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Revelling in the Christmas Magic.

-
Image
As the snow falls softly to the ground, each one a little white ball of magic from heaven, I look upward. My face feels like it's literally smiling at the angels which fly somewhere above, beyond those clouds and wisps of chalky-blue.  The sky is like a sleek navy blue blanket, riddled and sprinkled with the light of a million diamonds. All twinkling happily as they send their rainbow smiles onto myself and the people walking past hurriedly. It's pure bliss to know that in the same way I am awed by the art God has created, someone out there in the world is looking up at the sky, thinking the same thing. The same moon and stars glisten in their mighty pride. Slender strength. The clusters of jewels which sit on the polished glass shelves are nothing, nothing compared to the majesty which does radiate from above.         Medieval art from a church in Nottingham City Centre. Somewhere, in the near distance, Rhiana's ' Shine Bright Like a Diamond ' starts p...
Read more

Wedding Preps: Pretty in Pink...maybe?

-
Image
Hi all. So! There's a family wedding coming up soon and *dun dun duuuuun*, the search is on to buy a pink dress. Something quite 'out there' for a girl who normally gravitates toward purples and greens and blues. And then I got told the scheme is Pink. The complete opposite. That's fine, I can work with that, keeping an open mind and all...So off I went along to the local shops in search of this 'pink wedding-y material.'  I had a look around in a few shops, but the options for pink were...I wasn't feeling it. And I wasn't about to buy something just for the sake of it being pink. Some pinks were really in-your-face, some were catered to the aunty generation and others were bridal outfits. :( I said that I'd like to wear something 'out the box' and different, because I'm not always a fan of traditional Indian bling, as it can always be quite heavy and uncomfortable to walk around in. Plus I feel as though a lot of the Indian ...
Read more

Panto Review: De Montfort Hall's Beauty and the Beast.

-
Image
https://twitter.com/demontforthall Everyone loves a good sing along at Christmas time! Ohhhh yess they do! Like every year, De Montfort Hall host a pantomime based on either a fairy-tale or a classic children's tale. And this year was no different. What with the success of he live-action re-make, it was a no-brainer that the pantomime would be Beauty and the Beast.  Sam Bailey returned this year as a narrator/good fairy along with Sarah Accomando (Beauty), BBC Radio Leicester's Martin Ballard, (Dame) and Richard McCourt from Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow. CBBC's (remember? 90s generation, I'm looking at you) Dick from Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow meant that the children were playing a game of BOGIES! with enthusiasm every time he made an appearance, and the pie-splats definitely allowed the children to put their silly hats on. It seems that no expense was spared on the props. Varied, bright and attractive, it was a visual treat for the young audience. Perhaps includ...
Read more