In Indian Cinema an item song is defined as a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The screen writers of film along with the entire team believe that the item songs are the heart of the story line and it is very crucial for the tale to take any sort of shape.
The item songs are sold as the USP for a successful venture at the box office. These catchy musical numbers have to be marketed for a long time before the audience goes to watch the movie in theatres.
In the early days, the showbiz industry has produced many well known item songs like ek do teen-tehzaab, Dhak- Dhak – Beta and Choli ke peeche –khalnaayak. These item songs as well as movies featuring these songs are very popular till date so the creative team of the recent movies also believes in the presence of these item songs in every film.
Though Bollywood industry has seen so much change over the years, one thing has stayed the same is the love for the item songs. It sometimes happens that the film tanks at the box office even though the item songs has well connected with the viewers. These days it is hard to predict what the masses like and dislike in a particular cinematic piece.
In the recent past the inclusion of these item numbers have become absolutely necessary in movies. As an audience I don’t know who to blame for this item song boom as singers and actors don’t object to be a part of these songs. Even the censor board has accepted such kind of songs and don’t find it wrong for mass consumption of such content.
To conclude I would like to say that audience craves for good content and an outstanding movie does not require an item song to attract people towards the ticket counters.
