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Jacqueline Fernandez's latest dance number, which is a remake of the Ek Do Teen song from Madhuri Dixit starrer Tezaab, made me cringe.
Jacqueline Fernandez’s latest dance number, which is a remake of the Ek Do Teen song from Madhuri Dixit starrer Tezaab, made me cringe. The video made me question, how are item numbers still a thing in Bollywood?
While on the one hand, we are having empowering releases such as Tumhari Sulu, Piku, Queen, Angry Indian Goddesses, English Vinglish etc. from the industry which is finally waking up to the fact that women are human beings, too, how are some of the filmmakers still happy portraying women as nothing but objects of lust for the male audience?
The only purpose these item numbers serve is to titillate the male audience and objectify the female body for the benefit of the male gaze. How is this still required in movies? Will your audiences not throng the theatres if you don’t have that five-minute song and dance sequence? And if your movie is so bad that it will only draw crowds on the basis of such a number, ask yourself, do you really deserve to make movies?
You might tell me, that even in the original song, Madhuri dances in front of a crowd. Well firstly, Tezaab’s plot required her to do this dance number. In Tezaab, Madhuri’s father forces her to become a dancer and so this was a performance that she needed to do for the sake of the movie’s story. Looking at the current version, I have my doubts how it is helping the movie’s plot progress in any way or how leaving out this song would make any effing difference to the movie!
Secondly, Madhuri’s dance number was much more aesthetically choreographed – there was dancing involved. The current version has men literally drooling over Jacqueline’s curves reducing her to just her body where she dances solely for the pleasure of such men.
Thirdly, Bollywood for God’s sake, please try being a bit more creative! What is this weird trend of remaking old songs? Have you totally lost faith in your artistic abilities?
While so many film personalities are coming up to discuss how the female body objectification in Bollywood adversely impacts our society, it seems a section of the film fraternity is still revelling in the ‘glorious’ old days of patriarchy and misogyny. Women don’t mean anything more than their body parts to such people. Please wake up! There are more aesthetic ways to present the female form. And trust me when I tell you this, women are really capable of doing things beyond seducing men with their physical appearance. Do give it a thought.
To all these filmmakers, I wish I could ask the same question that Comedian John Oliver asks in his shows, ‘Bollywood Item Numbers: How Is This Still A Thing?’
Kasturi’s debut novel, forthcoming in early 2021, had won the novel pitch competition by Half Baked Beans Publishers. She won the Runner Up Position in the Orange Flower Awards 2021 for Short Fiction. Her read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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