Actor Shabana Azmi has been vocal about the many issues plaguing the film industry. She recently spoke at the We the Women event in Mumbai, sharing her thoughts on the impact of item numbers in films.
Item numbers generally feature female actors dancing on energetic beats and often contain sensual imagery. Shabana said, "Cinema is defined by the image. So when you have disconnected images, like for example, a heaving bosom, or shaking navel, you cut them into fragments and how the camera moves around the body is what decides what the intention of the director is."
"I feel in an item number, a woman loses all control and surrenders to the male gaze," she continued. "Some of the lyrics which she is singing… I find it extremely, extremely uncomfortable and I disagree with it."
Shabana emphasized that women should not objectify themselves, even if men do it. She cited the example of children singing item numbers at functions, with everyone laughing and ignoring the words. She mentioned recent examples of item songs in Bollywood, including Munni Badnaam Hui, Sheila Ki Jawani, and Dilbar.
Shabana is a renowned actor, having won the National Film Award for best actress five times. She is often credited for being one of the prominent faces of the parallel cinema movement in India. She was last seen in the Netflix series Dabba Cartel.
