Item number
Encyclopedia
An item number or an item song, in Indian cinema
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...

, is a musical performance that has little to do with the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 in which it appears, but is presented to showcase beautiful dancing women in very revealing clothes, to lend support to the marketability of the film. The term is commonly used in connection with Hindi
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

, Tamil
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...

 and Telegu cinema, to describe a catchy, upbeat, often sexually provocative dance sequence for a song in a movie. However, the term as understood in Bollywood parlance has entered the Kathmandu entertainment industry
Cinema of Nepal
Nepal does not have a very long film history but the industry has its own place in the cultural heritage of the country. Most Nepali films use Bollywood-style songs and narrative and are shot on 16-millimeter film...

 scenario as well. Item numbers are usually added to Indian movies in order to generate publicity by featuring them in the trailers. Item numbers are favoured by filmmakers for the reason that since they do not add to the plot, they afford the filmmakers with the opportunity to pick potential hit songs from the stocks. It is thus a vehicle for commercial success which ensures repeat viewing.

A female actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

, singer or dancer, especially someone who is poised to become a star
Movie star
A movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...

, who appears in an item number is known as an item girl. There are item boys as well. However, second generation South Asian females are more commonly featured in item numbers than males. Item numbers usually feature one or more persons other than the lead actors. Sometimes established female and male actors will lend a "special appearance" to an item number.

Although, the origin of the term "item number" is obscure, it is likely that it derives its meaning from objectification of sexually attractive women. This is because item in filmy Mumbai slang is a sexy woman. The classic meaning of "item number" refers to highly sexualized songs with racy imagery and suggestive lyrics. The "item number" would feature an "item girl" who appeared in the film as a dancer, usually in a bar or nightclub, and was only in the film for the length of that song. It was often frowned upon at that point in time.

History

Item number was introduced in Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

 by Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala Bali is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian....

 and Padmini
Padmini (actress)
Padmini was an Indian actress and trained Bharathanatyam dancer who has acted in over 250 Indian films. She has acted in the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi language films...

, however the former was the one who establish the item numbers in films. She introduced semi-classical dance in her film that featuring her. Some of her famous songs which predated the concept of item number are "Man dole mera tan dole" from Nagin
Nagin (1954 film)
Nagin is a 1954 film directed by Nandlal Jaswantlal, starring Vyjayanthimala and Pradeep Kumar.- Synopsis :Two Adivasi tribes are in conflict for some local economic rights. The daughter of the Nagi tribe's chief, Mala vows to kill the son of the Ragi tribe's chief, Sanatan as revenge...

, "Ab Aage Teri Marzi" and "O Jaanewale Ruk Jaa" from Devdas
Devdas (1955 film)
Devdas is a 1955 film directed by Bimal Roy, based on the Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novel, Devdas.In 2005, Indiatimes Movies ranked the movie amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.-Plot:...

, "Kaho Ji Tum Kya Kya Kharidoge" from Sadhna
Sadhna
Sadhna is a 1958 Hindi film produced and directed by B. R. Chopra. The film stars Sunil Dutt, Vyjayanthimala and Leela Chitnis.-Awards:* 1958 Filmfare Best Story Award: Mukhram sharma* 1958: Filmfare Best Actress Award : Vyjayanthimala...

, "Chadh Gayo Paapi Bichhua" from Madhumati
Madhumati
Madhumati is a 1958 Hindi film produced and directed by Bimal Roy, and written by Ritwik Ghatak and Rajinder Singh Bedi. The music was composed by Salil Choudhury with the lyrics by Shailendra. The film stars Dilip Kumar, Vyjayantimala, Pran, and Johnny Walker. It was one of the earliest films to...

, "Neele Gagan Ki Chaoon Tale" from Amrapali
Amrapali (film)
Amrapali is a 1966 historical Hindi film, directed by Lekh Tandon, starring Vyjayanthimala and Sunil Dutt as leads.It was based on the life of Amrapali , the nagarvadhu of Vaishali, the capital of the Licchavi republic in ancient India around 500 BC and Ajatashatru, the king of the Magadha empire,...

and "Hothon pe aisi baat" from Jewel Thief
Jewel Thief
Jewel Thief is a 1967 Indian Hindi film. Produced by Navketan films , the film is directed by Dev's brother Vijay Anand. Music is by S.D. Burman and the lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri. The film is a crime thriller, and stars Dev Anand, Vyjayantimala, Ashok Kumar, Tanuja, Faryal, Anju Mahendru,...

. Besides that, her dance number with Padmini
Padmini (actress)
Padmini was an Indian actress and trained Bharathanatyam dancer who has acted in over 250 Indian films. She has acted in the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi language films...

 in "Kannum Kannum Kalanthu" and "Aaja To Aaja" from Vanjikottai Valiban and "Raj Tilak" respectively were critically acclaimed, where the popularity of the songs surpasses the popularity of the films and was regarded as the best dance sequence in Indian cinema
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...

, similarly her dance number with Helen
Helen (actress)
Helen Jairag Richardson is an Indian film actress and dancer of Anglo-Burmese descent, working in Hindi films. She is often cited as the most popular dancer of the item number in her time. She was the inspiration for four films and a book.-Early life and background:Helen was born in Burma on 21...

 in "Aaye Haaye Dilruba" and "Muqabala Humse Naa Karo" from Dr. Vidya and Prince respectively was also popular. Her dance number was still adored by actresses, such as Hema Malini
Hema Malini
Hema Malini is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar , she went on to appear in numerous Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as...

 and Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Hindi films. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, she established herself as one of Hindi cinema's leading actresses and most accomplished dancers. She appeared in numerous commercially successful films and was recognised for several of...

, choreographers, such as Prabhu Deva and Saroj Khan
Saroj Khan
Nirmala Kishanchand Sadhu Singh Nagpal popularly known as Saroj Khan is one of the most prominent Indian dance choreographers in Hindi cinema...

.

Up to the 1970s, Bollywood often relied on the figure of the vamp, usually a cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...

 dancer, or a tawaif
Tawaif
A tawaif was a courtesan who catered to the nobility of South Asia, particularly during the era of the Mughal Empire.The tawaifs contributed to music, dance, theatre, film, and the Urdu literary tradition.-History:...

(prostitute) or a gangster's moll, to provide sexually explicit musical entertainment. While the heroine too did sing and dance, it was the vamp who wore more revealing clothes, smoked, drank and sang in bold terms of sexual desire. She was portrayed not as being wicked but as the naughty, sexually alluring, immodest woman, erotic in her dance performances. The trend was started by Chuckoo
Cukoo
Cukoo, also credited as Cuckoo, was an Anglo-Indian dancer and Actress in Indian cinema . Cukoo was the queen of film dancing in the 1940s. Though unfamiliar name, she was known as "rubber girl" of Hindi cinema and her talent made cabaret a must in the Bollywood films during the 1950s and...

 in films like Aan
Aan
Aan , also known as The Savage Princess in the U.S.A, is a 1952 technicolor Hindi musical produced and directed by the legendary Mehboob Khan, it is said to be India's first technicolour film. It stars Dilip Kumar, Premnath, Nimmi and marked the debut of Nadira who replaced the original choice...

(1952) and Shabistan (1951).
Helen
Helen (actress)
Helen Jairag Richardson is an Indian film actress and dancer of Anglo-Burmese descent, working in Hindi films. She is often cited as the most popular dancer of the item number in her time. She was the inspiration for four films and a book.-Early life and background:Helen was born in Burma on 21...

 was by far the most popular vamp of that era, having had performed in scores of item numbers including such popular songs as "Mera Naam Chin-Chin Choo" from the film Howrah Bridge
Howrah Bridge (film)
Howrah Bridge is a 1958 film directed by Shakti Samanta. Its name is a reference to Howrah Bridge, which connects Howrah to Kolkata over the Hooghly River. It features the well known Hindi song "Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu"which was reused in the film Salaam Bombay!. This song was sung by Geeta Dutt...

(1958), "Piya Tu Ab To Aaja" from Caravan
Caravan (1971 film)
Caravan is a 1971 movie under Nasir Hussain films banner. Nasir Hussain and Sachin Bhowmick wrote the screenplay. Hussain's brother Tahir Hussain is credited as producer. It starred Jeetendra and the Nasir Husain fixture- Asha Parekh. It also had Aruna Irani , Helen and Madan Puri...

(1971), "Mehbooba Mehbooba" from Sholay
Sholay
Sholay is a 1975 Indian action-adventure film produced by G.P. Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy. It is considered among the greatest films in the history of Indian cinema. Released on 15 August 1975, it stars Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bhaduri and...

(1975) and "Yeh Mera Dil" from Don
Don (1978 film)
Don is a 1978 Indian action film, produced by Nariman Irani and directed by Chandra Barot, with music by Kalyanji Anandji and lyrics by Anjaan. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Pran, Iftekhar, Helen and Om Shivpuri, Satyen Kappu and Pinchoo Kapoor. It was the third-highest grossing...

(1978). In films like Gunga Jumna and Zindagi
Zindagi (1964 film)
Zindagi is a Hindi movie produced by SS Vasan, Gemini Pictures and directed by Ramanand Sagar. The film stars Rajendra Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Raaj Kumar, Prithviraj Kapoor, Mehmood, Jayant,Jeevan, Leela Chitnis and Helen. The film's music is by Shankar Jaikishan-Plot:Beena works as a stage...

the actor performed semi-classical Indian dances in songs like "Tora man bada paapi" and "Ghungarwa mora chham chham baaje". A desi
Desi
Desi or Deshi refers to the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and, increasingly, to the people, cultures, and products of their diaspora. Desi countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh...

bar number, "Mungra Mungra" from Inkaar
Inkaar
Inkaar is a 1978 Hindi movie produced by Romu N Sippy and directed by Raj N. Sippy. the film stars Vinod Khanna, Vidya Sinha, Shreeram Lagoo, Amjad Khan and Helen...

was also immensely popular. In addition to her skillful dancing, her anglicised looks too helped further the vamp image.
In the early part of the 1970s actresses Bindu
Bindu (actress)
Bindu is an actress in Indian cinema who was most popular, receiving several award nominations, in the 1970s. She has acted in over 160 movies in a career that spanned four decades.-Early life:...

, Aruna Irani
Aruna Irani
Aruna Irani is an Indian actress. An accomplished actress and dancer of her time, Aruna Irani has acted in about 300 movies, with many memorable acting performances to her credit...

 and Padma Khanna
Padma Khanna
Padma Khanna is an Indian actress, dancer and director. She appeared mainly in Hindi and Bhojpuri films in the 1970 and 80s....

 entered into what was Helen's monopoly. Thereafter, Zeenat Aman
Zeenat Aman
Zeenat Aman is an Indian actress who has appeared in Hindi films, notably in the 1970s and 1980s. She was the second runner up in the Miss India Contest and went on to win the Miss Asia Pacific in 1970...

 and Parveen Babi
Parveen Babi
Parveen Babi was an Indian actress, who is most remembered for her glamorous roles alongside top heroes of the 1970s and early 1980s in blockbusters like Deewar, Namak Halaal, Amar Akbar Anthony and Shaan...

 too entered the arena. Both Aman and Babi have been credited for bringing the Western heroine look to Hindi cinema. Female actors such as her have brought about modernity with their portrayal of westernised liberated young women. Another noted feature of this era was the "tribal and banjara" item numbers such as the one in the Dharmendra
Dharmendra
Dharmendra Singh Deol |Punjab]]), better known as Dharmendra, is an award-winning Hindi film actor who has appeared in more than 247 Hindi-language films as of 2011. In 1997, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema and also another Lifetime...

, Zeenat Aman and Rex Harrison
Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey “Rex” Harrison was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.-Youth and stage career:...

 starer Shalimar
Shalimar (film)
Shalimar is a 1978 Hindi film. Its English version known as Raiders of the Sacred Stone was released in USA. The movie starred Dharmendra, Sir Rex Harrison, Zeenat Aman, Shammi Kapoor, Prem Nath, Aruna Irani and American actors John Saxon and Sylvia Miles in supporting roles. Jayamalini does a...

. Such songs provided the necessary settings for the lead couple's love to bloom.

Around the 1980s the vamp and the heroine merged into one figure and the lead actress had begun to perform the bolder numbers. The vampy item girls were thus outpaced by the heroines performing item numbers. This eventual demise of the vamp marked the increasing social acceptance of sexually explicit dancing for the morally respected heroine.

The craze for "tribal and banjara" item numbers were soon gave way to slick choreography. In the late 1990s, with the proliferation of film songs based television shows, film producers had come to realise that an exceptional way to entice audiences into theaters was by spending excessively on the visualization of songs. Hence regardless of the theme and plot, an elaborate song and dance routine involving spectacularly lavish sets, costumes, special effects, extras and dancers would invariably be featured in a film. It was asserted that this contributed highly to the film's "repeat value".

Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Hindi films. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, she established herself as one of Hindi cinema's leading actresses and most accomplished dancers. She appeared in numerous commercially successful films and was recognised for several of...

 is often considered to be the pioneer of the modern trend. In the late 1980s, the song "Ek Do Teen" was added to the movie Tezaab
Tezaab
Tezaab , released on 11 November 1988, is an Indian Hindi movie. This was the movie that gave actress Madhuri Dixit her first big break and reaffirmed Anil Kapoor's status, after a successful Mr India .The film was directed by N. Chandra. The music is by Laxmikant-Pyarelal...

as an afterthought, but it transformed Dixit and made her a superstar. Her partnership with choreographer Saroj Khan
Saroj Khan
Nirmala Kishanchand Sadhu Singh Nagpal popularly known as Saroj Khan is one of the most prominent Indian dance choreographers in Hindi cinema...

 has resulted in numerous hits including the controversial "Choli ke peeche kya hai" and "Dhak dhak" (Beta
Beta (film)
Beta is a 1992 Hindi movie directed by Indra Kumar. The film featured the pairing of Madhuri Dixit with Anil Kapoor in lead roles...

). Soon after the release of the film Khalnayak
Khalnayak
Khal Nayak is a 1993 Hindi film produced, written and directed by Subhash Ghai. The story centres around the escape and attempted capture of a terrorist criminal, Ballu, by Inspector Ram and his girlfriend Ganga. Box office India declared the film a "super hit" at the box office...

, there were press reports stating that people were seeing the film again and again but only till the song "Choli ke peeche kya hai" that featured Dixit.

Although there have been many songs that fit the descriptions of item numbers in the early and mid-1990s, the term itself was coined when Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty is an Indian film actress and model. Since making her debut in the film Baazigar , she has appeared in nearly 40 Bollywood, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films, her first leading role being in the 1994 Aag. Although she has been through years of decline during her career, Shetty has been...

 danced for "Main Aai Hoon UP Bihar Lootne" in the movie Shool. This is perhaps the first time the media actually referred to Shetty as an "item girl" and the scene as an "item number".

Recent developments

Many top stars in Bollywood now do item numbers, and many new women entering Bollywood find item numbers a more amenable shortcut to success, as opposed to more traditional roles with no guarantee of eventual stardom. Former item girls in pop songs outside films, Rakhi Sawant
Rakhi sawant
Rakhi Sawant is an Indian dancer, Hindi film and television actress, model and television talk show host.She was born as Neeru Bheda to Jaya Bheda, who married Sawant, a police constable at Worli Police Station, and gave her children her second husband's name Sawant...

 and Meghna Naidu
Meghna Naidu
Meghna Naidu is an Indian actress and dancer. Her first major appearance was in the music video for UMI10's "Kaliyon Ka Chaman" , an official remix of Lata Mangeshkar's 1981 song "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai"...

, for example, are now quite in demand and very popular. Today, they are even being given lead roles in commercially successful movies. As of 2007, Mallika Sherawat
Mallika Sherawat
Mallika Sherawat is a former Indian model, now working as an actress in mainly Bollywood films. Known for her bold onscreen attitude, Sherawat has been frequently featured in the media as a sex symbol...

 has become the most expensive "Item Girl", as she charged Rs. 15 million (roughly US$375,000) for the song "Mehbooba Mehbooba" in Aap Ka Suroor - The Real Love Story. Actress Urmila Matondkar
Urmila Matondkar
Urmila Matondkar is an Indian film actress.Matondkar, who made her screen debut as a child artist in the 1980 film Kalyug, debuted as an adult in Narasimha...

 is one of the most successful item girls. She was featured in "Chamma Chamma" in the 1998 film China Gate
China Gate (1998 film)
China Gate is a 1998 Hindi film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film is a "humble tribute to the late Akira Kurosawa", crediting Seven Samurai as its inspiration...

. Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes his films Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...

's 2001 film musical, Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...

used a westernized version of this song.
Malaika Arora Khan
Malaika Arora Khan
Malaika Arora Khan , also known as Malaika Arora, is an Indian model, actress, television personality and former MTV VJ. She is one of India's top item girls...

 and Yana Gupta
Yana Gupta
Yana Gupta or Yaana is a Czech model and actress working in Mumbai. Gupta is a citizen of the Czech Republic.-Personal life:...

 are "official" item number dancers. They have said they don't want to act in movies since they earn sufficient amount of money by just doing one song.

Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and is married to actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai....

 became the first "item boy" with his performance in Rakht; Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....

 also performed an item number during the opening credits of Kaal
Kaal
Kaal is a Bollywood Horror film, released in India on 29 April 2005. The movie is directed by Soham Shah, who also wrote its dialogue and screenplay. Karan Johar and Shahrukh Khan produced the movie...

but had an item number in the true sense of the word with "Dard-e-Disco
Dard-e-Disco
"Dard-e-Disco" was a hit Hindi-Urdu song from the 2007 Bollywood musical film, Om Shanti Om. The refrain, Dard-e-Disco , though essentially meaningless, was modeled after Persian-derived terms traditionally used in song and poetry in the Indian subcontinent such as Dard-e-Dil and...

" in the Farah Khan directed Om Shanti Om, where he was shot in typical "item girl" manner with bare six pack abs. However the number did have a meaning within the plot. He also performed an item number for the recently released movie Krazzy 4
Krazzy 4
Krazzy 4 is a 2008 Bollywood comedy film directed by Jaideep Sen and produced by Rakesh Roshan. The film stars Juhi Chawla, Arshad Warsi, Irrfan Khan, Suresh Menon and Rajpal Yadav in lead role while Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan appear in item numbers...

. Also in Krazzy 4, Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai for which Roshan earned his Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut...

 has an item number during the end credits. Now, the son of legendary Bollywood stars Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...

 and Neetu Singh
Neetu Singh
Neetu Singh is an Indian Bollywood actress. She worked as a child actor under the name Baby Sonia. She played Roopa in the 1966 movie Dus Lakh and a dual role in the film Do Kaliyaan. Her other notable films were Waris and Pavitra Paapi.-Career:Neetu Singh made her debut as an actress in 1972 with...

, Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood movies.Making his acting debut in the 2007 film Saawariya, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut, Kapoor went on to earn critical praise for his performance in Wake Up Sid...

, is making his debut in an item number in the 2011 movie, Chillar Party. The song draws inspiration from Rishi Kapoor's Quawalli song "Parda" from Amar Akbar Anthony
Amar Akbar Anthony
Amar Akbar Anthony is a 1977 Bollywood film about three brothers separated during their childhood who grew up in three homes, adopting three religions...

.

Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor , often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, among nine nominations, and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary...

, Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra is an Indian actress and former Miss World. Before starting her acting career, she worked as a model and gained fame after winning the Miss World title in 2000. She is often referred to by the nickname "Piggy Chops", which was given to her by co-stars on the set of the film...

 and Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is an Indian actress and a former model. She appears mostly in Hindi as well as Tamil and Kannada language films. Born to Badminton player Prakash Padukone, she chose to become an actress and not pursue a career in sports.Padukone made her acting debut in the 2006 Kannada film...

 are featured in three different songs in Red Chillies Entertainment
Red Chillies Entertainment
Red Chillies Entertainment is an Indian motion picture production and distribution company, based in Mumbai. The company was founded in 2002 by Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan...

's 2009 film Billu. The items are justified as part of a film within a film.

In Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...

, an item number featuring A. R. Rehman's music was picturised on Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus , is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and historic railway station in Mumbai which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. Situated in the Bori Bunder area of Mumbai, it was built as a new railway station on the location of the Bori Bunder Station in 1887...

 in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

. The song, "Jai Ho
Jai Ho
"Jai Ho" is a Hindi song composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Gulzar, for the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire. It accompanies a choreographed dance sequence at the end credits of the film. The song also features vocals by Mahalakshmi Iyer, Tanvi Shah, Vijay Prakash, and Sukhwinder Singh, who is...

", went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...

 and a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media...

.

In the 2007 film Om Shanti Om, the song "Deewangi Deewangi" had guest appearances by over 30 Bollywood stars. In 2008, the makers of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi featured Kajol
Kajol
Kajol Devgn , better known as Kajol, is an Indian film actress appearing in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of India's most successful and talented female actors....

, Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Bollywood films. A former model, she was the winner of the Ford's Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest in 1996.-Early life:...

, Lara Dutta
Lara Dutta
Lara Dutta Bhupathi is an Indian actress, UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador, and former Miss Universe.-Early life:Dutta was born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh to a Punjabi father and an Anglo-Indian mother. Her father is Wing Commander L.K. Dutta and her mother is Jennifer Dutta...

, Priety Zinta, and Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji is an Indian film actress who works in Hindi movies. In the course of her film career, she has received six Filmfare Awards, among twelve nominations....

 playing as five classic leading ladies, opposite Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....

 on the song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte
Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte
"Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte" is a song from the 2008 Indian film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi rendered by Sonu Nigam. In the movie itself, it appears as a dream item number during another movie. The song is pictured on Shah Rukh Khan and in chronological order, Kajol, Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta, Priety Zinta,...

".

In 2010, Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif is a British Indian actress and former model who appears in Indian films, mainly in the Hindi-language film industry. She has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam films. She was voted the sexiest Asian woman in the world by Eastern Eye in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011...

 featured in "Sheela Ki Jawani" in Tees Maar Khan
Tees Maar Khan
Tees Maar Khan is an 2010 Hindi action comedy film directed by Farah Khan, starring Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Akshaye Khanna in the lead roles. Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor make special appearances in the film. The film was released on 24 December 2010...

, and Malaika Arora Khan
Malaika Arora Khan
Malaika Arora Khan , also known as Malaika Arora, is an Indian model, actress, television personality and former MTV VJ. She is one of India's top item girls...

 featured in "Munni Badnam" in Dabangg
Dabangg
Dabangg is a 2010 Hindi action film, directed by Abhinav Kashyap in his directorial debut and produced by Arbaaz Khan under the Arbaaz Khan Productions. The lead actors in the film include Arbaaz's elder brother, Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha...

.

In 2011, Mallika Sherawat
Mallika Sherawat
Mallika Sherawat is a former Indian model, now working as an actress in mainly Bollywood films. Known for her bold onscreen attitude, Sherawat has been frequently featured in the media as a sex symbol...

 featured in "Jalebi Bai" in Double Dhamaal and "Razia" in Thank You
Thank You (2011 film)
Thank You is a 2011 Bollywood romantic comedy film directed by Anees Bazmee and produced by UTV Motion Pictures. It features Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Sonam Kapoor, Suniel Shetty, Irrfan Khan, Celina Jaitley and Rimi Sen. The film was released on April 8, 2011. Thank You is about three married men...

, while Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is an Indian actress and a former model. She appears mostly in Hindi as well as Tamil and Kannada language films. Born to Badminton player Prakash Padukone, she chose to become an actress and not pursue a career in sports.Padukone made her acting debut in the 2006 Kannada film...

 featured in "Mit Jaaye Gham" in Dum Maaro Dum and Zarine Khan
Zarine Khan
Zarine Khan is an Indian actress and model who appears in Bollywood films. She made her acting debut in the 2010 period film Veer co-starring with Salman Khan. Khan has been noted for looks very similar to actress Katrina Kaif.-Early life:...

 had "Character Dheela" from Ready
Ready (2011 film)
Ready is a 2011 Indian comedy film directed by Anees Bazmee, starring Salman Khan and Asin in the lead roles. It also features Paresh Rawal, Arya Babbar and Mahesh Manjrekar in supporting roles, while Ajay Devgan, Sanjay Dutt, Kangana Ranaut, Zarine Khan and Arbaaz Khan make cameo appearances...

to her credit. Yana Gupta
Yana Gupta
Yana Gupta or Yaana is a Czech model and actress working in Mumbai. Gupta is a citizen of the Czech Republic.-Personal life:...

 also made a guest appearance in Murder 2
Murder 2
Murder 2 is a 2011 Bollywood thriller film and the sequel to the 2004 hit film, Murder. The film is the second installment to the Murder Series which stars Emraan Hashmi and Jacqueline Fernandez in the lead. Directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Mukesh Bhatt, the film released on July 8, 2011...

with the item number "Aa Zara".

Criticism and controversies

Item numbers have been criticized for their gratuitous objectification of the female body. Item numbers have also been imitated in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

's bar dancers
Dance bar
The term dance bar is used in India to refer to bars in which adult entertainment in the form of dances by relatively well-covered women are performed for male patrons in exchange for cash. Though dance bars were banned in the Maharashtra state, in August 2005, with the passing of the Police Bill,...

. In respect of the ban on bar dancers in Mumbai, it has even been argued that the morality of bar dancer's imitation of item numbers cannot be questioned without questioning the morality of screening of item numbers in a film in public theatres. It has been argued that the two are equally amoral as both objectify women for commercial gain.

Khalnayak
Khalnayak
Khal Nayak is a 1993 Hindi film produced, written and directed by Subhash Ghai. The story centres around the escape and attempted capture of a terrorist criminal, Ballu, by Inspector Ram and his girlfriend Ganga. Box office India declared the film a "super hit" at the box office...

was controversial right from the day it released. While the lyrics of "Choli ke peeche kya hai?" (translation: "What's behind the blouse?") were considered vulgar by some, others defended the song on the ground that it was based on folk traditions. The song eventually set off protests all over the country and a potential ban on the song was debated in the Indian Parliament. Such turn of events, however, only helped the song and the film become more popular, as many came to the movie just to see Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Hindi films. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, she established herself as one of Hindi cinema's leading actresses and most accomplished dancers. She appeared in numerous commercially successful films and was recognised for several of...

perform the song.

External links

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