Beyond the beats

Exploring the controversial representations and objectification of women in the music industry. This can make women feel like they're only valued for their appearance.

By - Anukriti Mahajan

It must have been a beautiful feeling when one fine day, you hear “mein toh tandoori murgi hu yaar….gatkale mujhe alchol se ” as the top ranked song, hitting music charts, and being added to every party playlists, item songs. At present, the music industry no longer considers these oversexualized and objectifying, songs composed keeping in mind the male gaze, a one-time isolated incident. In fact, they attempt to angle it in that direction, hoping to make it go viral. The shocking part is that these songs have become so widely accepted that they now seem normal.

Rukmini Rao, a 73-year-old woman, is the founder of "Gramya Resource center," an organization located in Hyderabad. In addition to this, she has taken on leadership roles in several other organizations dedicated to sustainable agriculture, development, and women's rights. She is also the co-founder of the Saheli organization, when posed with the question of how she perceives the portrayal of women in Bollywood's famed "item songs," her response was these songs not only cheapen women and their sexuality but also tarnish the essence of art.

"These songs don't really fit into the movie's story, but they're still a part of the industry. Usually, in a Bollywood item song, you'll see an actress dancing in a revealing outfit and doing exciting dance moves. These songs have fancy dance routines, strange lyrics, and extravagant, dramatic visuals," she explains. In her view, they strip away the context of relationships in which human sexuality is shared between men and women, reducing it to a vulgar display.

In movies, when women dance on-screen, they often act very differently from the main female character. They sing provocative songs, invite men to touch them, and aren't worried about what others think of them. For example, in the song "Munni Badnaam Hui from dabbang 2," Malaika Arora's character Munni is very different from Sonakshi Sinha's Rajjo, who is more traditional. This contrast is meant to show that they have very different roles, with Munni as a seductive character and Rajjo as a more homely one.

Anavi Singh, a 25-year-old media student at Symbiosis, shares her perspective, drawing from her experience as an assistant stylist to renowned designer Masaba Gupta. She mentions that some songs, like those in "Mardaani 2," "The Kargil Girl," and "Aasman Di Pari" from "Gunjan Saxena," are exceptional as they empower women and evoke strong emotions and perspectives in the listener. However, when it comes to "item songs," she’s confused the emotions and experiences they aim to convey to the audience.

Heavy-hitters like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone as well as stars like Nora Fatehi and Malaika Arora who have now become synonymous with item numbers have all appeared in one at some point in their career.It's essential to think about how these messages impact our views of women and their roles in society and to question the need for more respectful and empowering portrayals in our entertainment.

The lyrics of these songs, known for their catchy tunes, often send troubling messages. In songs like "Genda Phool," women's bodies are compared to butter, in "Munni Badnaam Hui," they are likened to a piece of chicken, In "Garmi," their bodies are compared to a red velvet cake. Additionally, the actresses who often appear in these songs are portrayed as “item”.Women dancing in front of male characters in Bollywood songs openly express the sexual energy that these leading men possess, while the main female characters often seem to avoid such displays.

However, we should all wonder why we  grew up hearing these songs at all-girls school dance parties. Why do sleepovers with friends inevitably involve us enthusiastically singing along to these songs with potentially sexist lyrics? We all know the dance moves, when to shout out specific parts, and when to push our friends into the spotlight during the chorus. confidently claiming their space.

Perhaps, for a long time, we've all been dancing to the same beats without truly understanding the lyrics. Now, we're starting to listen to the songs and their messages, realizing that we might have been dancing to the wrong tunes all along.