What’s the year again? 2022 right? Oh yes, it is 2022 and we show two sides of us to the world. One that talks about feminism and women empowerment on social media and the one that celebrates misogyny. One speaks against the rape culture while the other one dances to item numbers with lyrics objectifying women. Shocking? Isn’t it? Well consciously or unconsciously, we’re all a part of this, and somewhere somehow by enjoying this, we are encouraging eve teasing, molestation, and all sorts of discrimination and chauvinism against women. Yes, I’m talking about how Bollywood keeps on making songs and jokes about racism and sexism and we quietly set our foot on fire saying “It’s just a song yaar, CHILL”.🌝
Bollywood is known for producing music and songs of its kind. For more than two decades now, it has produced a million songs of different types, and genres by many multi-talented artists but the sad part about this is that there has been a rapid increase in the production of item numbers with vulgar language and lyrics. The best and mainstream example is the song Gandi Baat from the film R…Rajkumar in which the lyrics mean I’ve tried several times but you refused so now I’ll come down to eve teasing. And in the song “Beyonce Sharma Jayegi”, the lyrics were racist remarks toward the world-famous artist. There are several other songs in Bollywood that spill utter racism, and sexism and promote rape culture.
However during this debate, recently there was a song released named “Oo antava” from the film Pushpa- The Rise, critically acclaimed not only for the dance and expressions but the lyrics as well. Probably for the first time, in the history of films in India, an item song was produced that defined the problems of a woman in society instead of degrading women as an object of male desire. The lyrics went on to say “The girls who wear saree, boys stare at them too,
The girls that wear short skirts, boys stare at them too,
Nothing beats wearing short clothes, men are shameless,
Their eyes are dirty and their thoughts are also dirty” meaning no matter whatever you wear, they’re going to stare at you because their eyes and thoughts are dirty was shared and celebrated among the youth and the youngsters all over the country.
To take it down, one first needs to stop listening to such songs that shamelessly portray women as an object of desire. Secondly, just like the CBFC, there should be aboard for the songs and lyrics as well. Third and the most important way is to teach people basic moral education and lesson. The lessons that were taught to us in schools should be used beyond classrooms as well. Crime against women in India is already way too high and such types of songs simply encourage evil. Come let’s create a generation that stops this instead of jamming, a society that pauses instead of playing.
Akshita Ayusmita
BAJMC 3rd year
Birla Global University, Bhubaneswar
