Munni Badnam-Sheela ki Jawani Chadhi Parwan

Warning : Adults Stuff, Kids stay away please

Eeeeks! I was feeling so yucky typing those words there.  Don't they sound like some C-grade movie title?  Not that I have ever seen such a movie or would like to see one, but who has not read those names on jarring posters in small towns and who has not heard about them?  I thought it made people make dirty faces listening to these crass songs.  But I was wrong.  "Sheela ki jawani" is a hit with the discotheques in Delhi!!  FM radio stations are asking Delhites what do they prefer Badnam Munni or Jawan Sheela!! Oh I am disgusted with all this.

Let me tell the readers, who do not know what I am talking about.  Bollywood is abuzz with this item dance number featuring Katrina Kaif with the name 'sheela is jawani'.  And in the recent past, it was another actress(?) Malaika Arora Khan who danced with pride on 'Munni badnaam hui, darling tere liye'.

I was not really perturbed when Malaika danced to Munni Badnam Hui - it was expected from her.  With only the item numbers in her kitty, she would have grabbed this opportunity like a hungry cat to gyrate with those uncouth looking men flirting around with his brother in law in real life, Salman Khan.  It was just expected of her.  Moreover, the setting of the place was rural and although I have never really lived in a village, but it seems nautanki (an Indian art form of drama) is still alive and nach- gaana (dance and songs)still is the source of entertainment.  So, it was digestible for me.

Now comes, this song - Sheela ki jawani, (I can't believe I am writing about all this crap). Although, I have kept myself away from such masala movies, serving a stupid old story with a tadka of jhatka and matka and the sizzler of the one man army our heroes become, but hufffff, I have to write about this one.  Katrina Kaif really did not require to do this item number, but now when she has done it, let me blurt out what I have say about this song and the dance and the costumes (were there any?!)

Here enters our (i mean, you guys') heartthrob, strategically covered in a pink satin sheet (ah, the ultimate in fantasy!) and holding it just the right way, hiding some showing some, with those guys declaring that now she is the fountain of youth - declaring that now she has become 'jawan' (young) now.  Isn't that disgusting when some one sings or even talks a thing like that?? After this Sheela gets into various avatars - take your pick boys.  Once she is in the belle dancer's costume and the next time she forgets her trousers but knows how to don that hat, and what is the role of an untied tie over there? some clue? yeah, to play some *** game girl!

I am really upset with this.  No, not because one of the top actress wants to degrade herself like this but because this song, like any other bollywood song takes the place in all the music channels, entertainment channels on TV and radio.  The song with those crass lyrics are being doled out to all and sundry.

Does someone even for a moment think about the teenagers? Teenaged boys and girls who still happen to live with their families in our country.  A sheela on the TV screen goes galloping, vibrating her body from top to bottom, screaming out loud that this delectable item is beyond your reach you boy, and we watch it as a family.  The father seems to enjoy a bit, but is visibly conscious.  The mother is shocked and still,  looking at the visuals, the son smirks at his mom, smiles a little naughtily, the daughter is embarrassed. Finally the mother snatches the remote and changes the channel.  Why are we being served such stuff on family channels and family time ie 8pm to 10 pm??

Does it not affect anybody, right from the makers of the movie, writers of the song, the actors, the people who are putting such stuff on prime time? Just nobody bothers about our children??

I am not saying Censor Board of India should be more vigilant or strict.  It must be the choice of an ADULT to decide what he or she wants to watch, or listen or read.  And it's absolutely alright to have access to material which is erotic in nature but does enrich your knowledge about the topic.  This is the land of Kamasutra.  We should not be shy about knowing the facts and the art of something which is the basic instinct of man.  It's human to be curious, even sexually.  And boys, here I am not talking about ppornography, for that in my opinion is just a way of misleading people and creating a false image about sex. I will write about it separately in a post.

Crimes against women are rampant.  Delhi is being called the crime capital.  Cases of rape, molestation are getting piled up.  It took 300 officers and men of police force to nab the 3-4 rapists, who gangraped a call centre executive at Daula Kuan area of New Delhi.  Will they get any punishment, we do not know??

What we know is that media has a role to play.  What is know is that the poor ratio of male and female population is showing it colours, it had been showing, but now we seem to realise it and accept it.  If the number of females would go less, obviously the males who are getting nobody to have an intimate relationship with, would get frustrated.  There are bound to be more crimes towards women, sexual crimes, I mean.  If you see, many a times, it is the men of adjoining states, of small towns and villages who are getting into such crimes.  The boys and men of the city are also no less. Lack of employment opportunities, and a huge population again makes things worse for them.

Are our movies justified in tempting the rickshaw pullers, street vendors kind of people (with  no disrespect to any profession) by playing such songs and dance.  Yes, I name them here because the class of society they are addressing is them only.  (Ever heard a city girl with the name 'Sheela'??  For God's sake - my great grandmother's name is Sheela!!)  There had been many vulgar songs before this, but a lead actress, who first made a place in the industry and the people's heart with her cute, innocent ways, has even done such a crass, dirty and third class song is what makes me so angry.  Money buys everything huh?!

It was madhuri dixit, who did 'choli ke peeche kya hai?' But if you see the answer negates all your dirty thoughts, when she says 'choli mein dil hai mera'. (Although it was too a very suggestive song at that time, but my kids had not grown up for me to feel so angry, I guess).  Coming back to sheela song, if you have heard the song properly, it suggests... well..... self gratification.  Wow, the great lyricists that we have, why should boys have all the fun ha? why 'apna haath jaganath' for men ha? why not pull women into it ha? It's shameful.  It's shocking how the standards of decency are going down in the art of our times.  Art is a reflection of our society.  Is our society... our youngsters too getting this crass?? I ask this to the youngsters who read this post. 

As an art form, I am not against nudity in paintings or sculpture.  As long as the beauty of human body can be portrayed in an aesthetic manner, it is beautiful.  It's the celebration of life and beauty.  But as soon as the posture changes, it becomes animalistic, raw and in bad taste.

I sincerely wish, somebody out there reads my post and understands how movies and TV are misleading our youth, titillating their senses, teasing them, making them animals.  At least leave the prime time of TV, spare our children from this unnecessary exposure to vulgarity.  Let them grow up and have their share of fun later, not in their early teens at least.

What do you feel about it as a youngster, as a teenager, as a mother or a father? How do you see the degradation of the quality of songs? Especially the elderly must be really feeling bad, and missing those golden songs.  Do let me know what you think about it.

RESTLESS