Women in Bollywood songs; what is the actual problem?
Syeda Tasnim Islam Zarin ।। I remember my childhood days, when I and my sister used to dance to a Bollywood song, titled “Tu Cheez Bari Hain Mast Mast”, and at the age of 9, when I finally got to know what the actual meaning of the Hindi word “Cheez” (thing/object) is, I asked my mother why the boy was calling the girl “Cheez” without even realizing what sort of a lengthy discussion, and importance the question truly carried.
Objectifying lyrics in Bollywood songs are nothing new, if we analyze. Well, I personally love old-school Bollywood classics, but if you pay attention to the lyrics of some of the iconic songs, you’ll understand how down the line problematic, and bizarre those are. The melody of the song “Kabhi Kabhi”, one of the most loved Bollywood songs, sung by Lata Mangeshkar, and Mukesh (1976), truly takes to another world, but the lyrics of this song are problematic in every possible way. “Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal ataa hain ki yeh badaan, yeh nigahain mere amanaat hain” (sometimes, in my heart a feeling emerges, that this body and eyes are mine!!), as if she’s not a woman, just an object, you see the problem, right?
Well, let’s not even talk about the 80’s and 90’s Bollywood, because, to be honest, words will fall short. “Goria Churana mera jia”(Fair girl, don’t steal my heart, “Tu meri laila” (You’re my Laila), “Goria chale” (The fair girl walks away), “Gori hain Kaliyan” (The wrists are “white”), and the list will go on. But, the actual question here now is whether Bollywood has got over the weird and unhealthy obsession of objectifying women through the songs. Sadly, no. The concept of item song is still going strong, and there’s at least one (nowadays even two) item song in almost every commercial Bollywood movies. Who are the “items” here? Of course, the women!
The obsession Bollywood has been possessing for years would be super hard to get rid of overnight. Unfortunately, this is the market. Society, itself, demands songs, where women are being objectified, because, let’s be real here, this is exactly how a majority of people think. People love when they find contents relevant to their ideas, and Bollywood is just doing its business here. So, the question arises, is it changing? Well, yes. The fact that I am writing this article, and we are often having discussions on issues like this proves that it is indeed changing. But then again, Bollywood, and the society we live in, still have a long way to go. Far, indeed, but definitely not unreachable, so the better days can be definitely be dreamt of, right?
(The views and opinions expressed by the writers are those of their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Feminist Factor)
