Item songs are the salt and pepper of Bollywood movies. There are times when we don’t remember the movie, but we never fail to remember the item track. They are exclusive to Indian cinema and adds the real desi flavour to the movie. The item songs also perpetuate catharsis, give a break to the audience so that they can ease off on the actions of a heavy headed movie. The classic item numbers like Jawaani janeman or Jhoom jhoom jhoom baba have a catchy tune and lyrics too. But what makes item numbers the fascinating thing that are, are the graceful dancers so to speak. Sometimes the lyrics are even derogatory. But the item song is the real essence of the Bollywood masala movie and without it any film would be bland.
Here are a few item girls who are a favorite when it comes to Bollywood’s masala item numbers:
Malaika Arora Khan – The Queen Of Item Songs
She is by far a favorite when it comes to some thumkas and some nakhras. From her mahi ve or chhaiya chhaiya days to her munni badnam or anarkali disco chali she has clearly come a long way. Times have changed , and so have dance moves but not her age. We all know by now that she is a timeless diva and too gorgeous for the much looked down upon item numbers. But well, no one does it better than Malaika Arora Khan, who has nailed it again with her recent number Hello Hello from Patakha.
Sunny Leone – The Great Moves And Perfect Smile
Recently Sunny Leone has been appearing in a lot of item numbers. She definitely has the body and the correct dance moves for the limelight she has taken away and deserves. From Laila main Laila to Desi Look from Ek Paheli Leela and the Paani wala dance she has done it all. We hope to see more of her in a few upcoming item numbers.
Bipasha Basu – The Sultry And Dusky Appeal
Bollywood’s bong siren is another popular item girl. Her dusky complexion, her beautiful curves and her eyes make her the ideal item. From jaadu hain nasha hain, to beedi jalai le and phoonk de she sets the screen on fire when she is dancing. Yes bips is smoking hot and although we haven’t seen much of her on the screen recently, we definitely cannot miss her out when we are talking about item songs. In fact she is one of the highest paid actresses for item numbers.
Kareena Kapoor – Who’s Jawaani Seems To Last Forever
Is there anything that Bebo can’t do ? Bollywood wise, we really can’t say. She is one of the most sought after actresses for item numbers amd she earns a staggering 5 crore for each! She tried her hand in this with her yeh mera dil from Don, a classic Helen number. And the rest like Fevicol se, Halkat Jawani etc. have all been blasted at parties to which people have danced like crazy.
Nora Fatehi – The New Diva In The Block
Off late, another young and beautiful woman who has been grabbing all those eyeballs, is Nora Fatehi. She already earned herself a name in this list with her performance in the remake of “Dilbar” for Satyamev Jayate. Her latest, Kamariya, from Stree has become a hit too.
We owe a lot to these women, dancing for the sake of our entertainment sometimes to awfully derogatory and misogynist lyrics. Item numbers have evolved that way making the woman the center of attention and the commodification of women that goes into the making of an item song is less likely to change in the near future.
