Here’s a controversial take that’s been going around social media for a while now: Bollywood item songs have gotten really boring.
The take resurfaced on the internet yesterday after the release of Rajkummar Rao’s Maalik. The film featured an item number titled ‘Dil Thaam Ke’ featuring Huma Qureshi; however, the song just didn’t connect with people.
Most Bollywood films up until the 2010s utilized these item numbers as an element that drives the story and reveals something about the character amidst it.
‘Beedi Jalaile’ from Omkara is one of the best films to utilize its item number to introduce an important character without having to give them too much screen time.
On the other hand, item songs today have just become a part of a bigger template in which the director fits the script.
The standard way to include an item number in any movie is to show a gangster out for a meeting with an oversexualized actress dancing to vulgar lyrics in the background.
This template is seen in a string of Bollywood films today, including SRK’s Raees with Sunny Leone, Ajay Devgn’s Raid 2 with Tamannah Bhatia, and now Huma in Maalik.
Fans believe that these songs, which were once used to show the lair of the villain, are now used as an excuse for the lead actor and his sidekicks to dance around a sexy woman.
While it’s true that vulgarity and sexiness are the key elements of any item number, what sets them apart from the current songs is their context.
A good item number is worth more than just a song for the credit rolls. If Bollywood really wants to strike gold, they have to dig deeper and create songs that have a recall value with the audience.
