Bollywood, without its infamous item numbers, is considered incomplete by many. The current trend of sexy and raunchy item dance numbers in Bollywood movies, they are surely setting the Box Office ringing. From the 1990’s when songs such as Raveena Tandon’s Tip Tip Barsa Paani was a rage to 2010, when Katrina Kaif shook her fans with her super hot moves in Sheila Ki Jawaani, these scintillating dance numbers have contributed to the success of commercial Bollywood cinema in more than one way. In fact, item songs have become so popular, we actually saw a male actor, Aamir freaking Khan, do an item song in Delhi Belly!
She will again be seen in a super-duper-sexy dance song in the Hrithik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt starrer, Agneepath. And this time, she will be Chikni Chameli.
We have compiled a list of the top 10 raunchiest, sexiest and most drooling item numbers of Bollywood – from the 1990s till today.
- Sheila Ki Jawani – Tees Maar Khan (2010) From the demure to the sultry sexy siren, Katrina has come a long way. Her jhatkas and thumkas in Farah Khan’s movie is the latest bestseller. We can see Katrina in a never seen avatar before, grooving to the beats of Vishal-Shekhar in perhaps the hottest item song of Bollywood.
- Munni Badnam Hui – Dabangg (2010) A brilliantly titillating and raunchy item number picturized on Malaika Arora Khan, the song is a hit with the Indian hinterland population. Sung by Aishwarya Nigam and Mamta Sharma, the song already has a cult following.
- Beedi– Omkara (2006) Penned by thelyrical legend Gulzar, this Bipasha Basu item song in Shakespeare’s adaptation stuck the right chord with the audience. The song topped the charts; it was aesthetically brilliant and undoubtedly, gave a boost to Bipasha’s career. Beedi is now a staple of weddings and drunk parties.
- Kajra Re– Bunty Aur Babli (2005) Featuring Aishwarya Rai, the dance number was crowned the song of 2005. The song has Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan grooving alongside Aishwarya.
- Aisa Jadoo Daala Re – Khakee (2004) A powerful dance performance by Lara Dutta, aisa jadoo dala re was the chartbuster for some weeks. We see Laea Dutta in a new avatar and this song was a much needed break for her. She got visibility in mainstream commercial cinema.
- Ishq Samundar– Kaante (2002) Featuring Sanjay Dutt and Isha Koppikar, the entire film was shot in the United with a huge star cast. While on one hand, we have Malaika Arora’s Mahi Ve, Koppikar’s Ishq Samundar was her entry into mainstream cinema. Without the song, she would never have signed some of the projects she does have on hand.
- Ishq Kamina– Shakti (2002) Featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai, the item number was a glamorous but ‘not so needed’ diversion in the midst of the film’s plot. There is absolutely no basis for the song – Shah Rukh’s dream sequence for the song seems abrupt. Anyways, the song became popular.
- Chaiyya Chaiyya – Dil Se (1998) Written by Gulzar, Malaika Arora and Shah Rukh dancing on the train was a diversion from the usual item numbers before 1998. The confidence and elegance of the performance is wonderful. The song received several awards and was recently played in the opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in New Delhi.
- Tip Tip Barsa Paani – Mohra (1994) A sexy and raunchy item number, with the dhak-dhak girl Raveena Tandon and the khiladi hero Akshay Kumar grooving to tip tip barsa paani, it is a typical Bollywood rain dance number.
- Choli Ke Peeche – Khalnayak (1993) The original dhak-dhak girl of Bollywood, Madhuri Dixit is the dance Goddess. With well defined expressions, perfect moves, and oodles of sensuality, the choli ke peeche was a super-duper hit.
I often wonder what is it that an ‘item’ number has that makes or breaks a movie in Bollywood and I have mostly reached only one conclusion – the skin. As a famous director puts it crassly:
Jitna badan dikhaoge, utni pichhar hit ho jayegi
Yep, that’s sadly the cold hard truth. Many actresses often enter Bollywood in a movie which is ‘hot’ or shows the actress in a very poor light. An example? The famous Katrina Kaif. She entered Bollywood in 2003 with a movie (true to its name) that boomed at the box office. Unfortunately, Katrina failed to learn from her mistakes and repeated the fiasco in 2010’s Tees Maar Khan. Read the Tees Maar Khan movie review and see the item number which defined the movie.
Anyway. That’s enough analysis for now. What do you think? Which is your favorite item number? Please vote/comment below to let us know!
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What about Helen dancing to R D Burman's number Mehbooba or Bindu dancing in Kati Patang – these ladies were sensuous without looking cheap and they danced alone and yet managed to hold your interest. Even Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu can be terned as an item number in Chinatown.
ya..you are quite right..I think we need a list of the best classic item numbers from the golden years of Indian cinema..please write a top ten list of that too if you're free!! thanks.