This is not about Koffee with Karan or anything related to that. This is about something interesting that Karan Johar mentioned the other day in an interview. He just felt the need to show his involvement and commitment to women. Hopefully, he has the same feeling for all women not just women, who were born in film families!
This is what Karan said:
I have gone on record and apologized that I have had item songs in my feature films and I don’t think I would do it again. I have no problem with like a girl dancing, that’s not an item number. An item song is when she is objectified and when there are men lusting for her like ‘Chikni Chameli’. I don’t think I would ever do that again. It’s never gonna happen in a Dharma Productions film and I will make sure of it. Like ‘Desi Girl’ is not an item song but ‘Chikni Chameli’ is. And, I don’t think I would do it.
I have grown up singing to ‘Khambe Jaisi Khadi Hai, Ladki Hai Ya Chadi Hai’ and I didn’t even realize what those words are. Then you suddenly sing that song and you are like, ‘Oh My God! This is so misogynistic’. And, it’s absolutely ridiculous that we have done it and a lead actor like Aamir Khan had danced on that song. He himself, on my show, has actually said that ‘I did this and I apologise like I wouldn’t do it again’. We don’t even think what these words are.
Like I’ve no problem with brilliantly written and a beautiful song. Just the way how Gulzar saab wrote the songs of ‘Omkara’. They are stunning! ‘Zabaan Pe Lagaa, Lagaa Re, Namak Ishq Ka’ – is beautiful. Even ‘Bidi Jalaile’. It’s the way you picturize a song like that. You’ve got to kind of make sure that you don’t because eventually we are a very impressionable medium.
So basically, these Bollywood people including Karan started realising what they were doing to women only when the #MeToo movement started in India? Were they blind before or what? Is the gesture now an eye-opener, the real thing or are they still faking it and pretending that they care?
You know what is annoying? Karan being invited to all of these shows that actually feature relevant people, who have important things to talk about. He just grabs all the limelight by trying to say something impactful. Whether or not, he does what he said he would, no one knows. Like some time back, maybe last year, he said he does not want to work with the big stars because they control everything and charge way too much.
So, Katrina Kaif, who is currently promoting her film ‘Zero’, was asked about Karan’s out-of-nowhere statement. Now, remember that this is Katrina Kaif, who is probably the only heroine in recent times who has managed to make item songs work. This is what she is good at, her livelihood because she also depends on these item numbers to make extra bucks when she gets to perform at award shows or concerts.
This is what Katrina had to say:
Oh, I didn’t know that was said, but I feel very differently on the matter. I feel it’s all down to the individual who is performing the song. Madonna, who I’m sure we all know of, I don’t think she is feeling objectified. I don’t think Beyonce who performs in a swimsuit on stage is feeling objectified. It’s all about how you feel while you are performing that song. I can tell you, I never felt objectified in ‘Chikni Chameli’.
I enjoyed that song. I enjoyed the dance, I enjoyed what I was doing. I didn’t even for a moment felt objectified or brought any kind of wrong eyes on me. Not at all…There are many times when people ask me for songs and there’s no context to it.
I won’t do it, no matter how much I feel about dance. We don’t need to characterize it that every song that a woman is celebrating herself and performing, that’s not objectifying women. It all depends on the angle and lens it’s being seen.
Don’t know if you remember, we have mentioned both Madonna and Beyonce separately here. But in response to what Katrina is saying, both of these singers/entertainers put on a show that they think will make people want to sell them. They are veterans in their own ways and both of them manage their own careers. In short, they both know that objectifying oneself, acting sexy (or what they think is sexy), using titillating moves and wearing less are all what make their music sells. So yes, they do objectify themselves, they do it to themselves because they want to stay relevant. Adele is one of the biggest artists in the world, do you see her doing all that to sell her music?
Katrina knows very well what she is doing. She started out playing these innocent characters, minus ‘Boom’, but smartly she also did item numbers by the side.
Why do you think Sonam Kapoor said what she said about Katrina? Because Sonam tried it and failed! This whole item song thing is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Personally, though, the ‘objectifying portrayal’ of women is disgusting. It happens in Hindi films, Telugu and Tamil films as well. There will be shots of the girl up front or up close, her navel, her upper body or her stomach. How come we don’t get shots of heroes like that? Why only the leading ladies? It is really uncomfortable to watch.
Many years ago, this actress in a Tamil film with a famous actor took the producer and director to court because they used a body double without her permission and shot the stomach area (or was it some other body part). Problem was, the actress wasn’t aware and only saw it when she watched the trailer. She didn’t want people to think that it was her in these shots and it was why she filed a police report. This was like a new girl, not some well-established actress in Tamil cinema. The popular actor of that film said that the actress was looking for attention, that’s why she did all that. Another top actress also commented that this girl was unnecessarily creating a controversy.
It’s normal for them to objectify a woman like this. So even if actresses don’t shoot these scenes, with or without their permissions, directors will go ahead and have body doubles shoot for them instead.
This is probably the first time that Katrina has taken such a strong stand on something and ironically, it’s something that is a big issue in India and she is on the supporting side of this issue. It will be interesting to see how long more will she do this? How many more years do you think she will still rule item songs? Her sister is also making her debut in a dancing song, so expect more dance moves or item songs from the Kaif sisters in India.
By the way, Katrina. Congrats on winning the Best Real Star on Social Media award. If Katrina is the real star then who are the fake stars on Social Media?
For now, check out the non-objectifying latest song of Katrina Kaif in ‘Zero’:
