Cinema has always been a popular form of entertainment in India. Films and series reflect the norms of society. They also have the power to influence said norms. The way a woman is depicted in Indian cinema has always been a cause of concern.
It won’t be far-fetched to say that Bollywood songs and movies have encouraged the objectification of women for a long time. According to United Nations, the Indian film industry topped in objectifying women. We will analyse how women are portrayed in popular Bollywood item songs.
The majority of Bollywood movies include songs that are categorised as “item songs”. These songs have women as central figures around whom the songs are choreographed. The women are shown wearing skimpy clothes with camera angles focusing on specific body parts, thus objectifying them.
While the word “item” means an object or inventory, in Bollywood, these item songs often compare the girl to various objects addressing her as “Patakha”, “Phuljhari”, “Tandoori Murgi”, etc.
We can take some songs for analysis. The songs below are all about how well Bollywood does to bring down the social status of women.
Jalebi Bai (Double Dhamaal), Munni Badnaam (Dabangg), Fevicol se (Dabangg 2), Pinky (Zanjeer), Mera Naam Mary (Brothers), Do Dhaari Talwar (Mere brother ki Dulhan) are just some examples.
“Fevicol se” from the movie “Dabangg 2” (2012), directed by Arbaaz Khan, featuring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, and written by Wajid Ali. The lyrics of the song are,
“Haye main to kab se hun se ready taiyyar,
Pataa le saiyyan missed call se, oh no!”
“Main to tandoori murgi hu yaar,
Gatka le saiyyan alcohol se ok!”
The lyrics have profoundly materialistic metaphors that compare women to the barbecued chicken better enjoyed with alcohol. Secondly, most mainstream movies are male-centric. Lead actresses are treated as glam dolls in the movies. India is a patriarchal society. So does the Indian film industry. Stalking and eve-teasing are depicted as love in Indian movies. Sandeep Vanga, director of the movie ‘Kabir Singh’, thinks slapping each other is true love.
Times are changing for the better. A lot has changed, and a lot needs to be improved. As more and more women are joining the film industry as directors, producers, actresses, etc. Film directors like Zoya Akhtar, Gauri Shinde, Meghna Gulzar, and Reema Kagti redefined Indian cinema with powerful on-screen characters.
This is the age of Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Tapsee Pannu, Priyanka Chopra, Kriti Sanon, Anushka Sharma, and Kiara Advani, who don’t think twice before taking up a challenging role. As a result, we are witnessing strong female characters in movies and women in lead roles. For examples, Alia Bhatt in ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, Deepika Padukone in ‘Chhapak’, Kangana Ranaut in ‘Queen’, Tapsee Pannu in ‘Thappad’ and ‘Pink’, etc.
Now women are stronger, self-independent, open-minded, and educated. Time has changed. Now we can say women are getting equal rights to male actors. So let’s clap for the positive changes in the portrayal of women characters, and let’s work on making it even better.