Pakistan Journal of Women’s Studies: Alam-e-Niswan Vol. 24, No.2, 2017, pp.1-14, ISSN: 1024-1256

ITEM SONGS IN HINDI CINEMA AND THE POSTFEMINIST DEBATE

Shirin Zubair Department of English, Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore

Abstract

Item songs in mainstream (read=malestream) Indian cinema are difficult to decode as cultural narratives due to their polysemous linguistic and visual messages, particularly in the wake of the backlash feminism has earned in an era of (post) feminism. Rather than follow the conventional feminist approach to decode such songs as sexualizing and objectifying women, this essay reads an alternative narrative into some of these songs, by arguing that blurring the boundaries between the erstwhile ‘bad woman’ or ‘vamp’ and the modern Indian woman who is sexually liberated, independent and in control, such songs articulate a postfeminist discourse with regard to Indian femininities. To this end, I analyze two very popular item songs in recent years Shiela ki jawani (Tees Maar Khan, 2010) and chikni chameli (Agneepath, 2012), while applying the (post) feminist critique (McRobbie, 2009; Fraser, 2016) to argue that these songs position women as sexually active, independent and agentive. They also resonate with the wider socio-cultural practices in urban India: the changing lifestyles, practiced and lived femininities of the young urban women, as well as the new breed of leading Indian female actors, who display no inhibitions in performing these songs. Seen in this perspective, the songs provide a site or space for diverse and oppositional practices regarding feminism and traditional femininities; while songs like chikni chameli, Shiela ki jawani celebrate the new woman’s empowerment through sexual liberation, her autonomy, individuation and freedom, yet simultaneously position women—through rampant sexism in lyrics and itemization of body parts through a camera lens---as the classic object of the male gaze (Mulvey, 1999).

Keywords Feminism, femininities, Hindi cinema, visuals, lyrics, female success 2 Shirin Zubair

Introduction

Postcolonial feminists of colour (Spivak, 1988; Narayan, 1997) contend that power and hegemonic structures exist not only within social institutions but also within dominant cultural narratives. In ‘the postfeminist era’ of popular culture, with its over-emphasis on commercials which sexualize women as commodities to sell products in capitalist societies, item songs in mainstream Indian cinema are difficult to decode as cultural narratives because they are multilayered as well as ambivalent. Through my analysis, I hope to illustrate and argue that contrary to popular criticism against them, item songs also empower rather than only sexualize and demean women, as they are symptomatic of a big shift that Indian cinema --which has a globalized following and viewership—is currently experiencing in terms of representations of women. In this light, I argue that item songs are harbingers of changing lifestyles, practiced and lived femininities of young urban women as well as the new breed of Indian and Pakistani female actors. Since Hindi cinema is very popular across the border in Pakistan, our television and fashion industry is trying to catch up fast with growing trends across borders where our lead female actors like Mehvish Hayat and Sohai Ali Abroo do not shy away from performing item songs like billi (Na Maloom Afraad, 2014) and selfian (Wrong Number, 2016) etc.

Although these songs in Hindi films discursively provide a space for enactment of female power and success, cultural theorists are of the view that such cultural narratives are ambiguous, as they are enmeshed in political regimes’ agendas of diverting attention away from addressing the structural causes of gender inequalities by focusing on individual success rather than collective women’s rights. This paper problematizes the emergence of item songs and the ensuing debates surrounding such representations in light of postfeminist theory.

Postfeminism, Postcolonialism and decolonising debates on popular culture

There has been a lot of hue and cry over media sexualization of women within feminist literature. In this article, I look at the relevance of media representations and sexualization of women in relation to women’s rights movements in postcolonial contexts, particularly in regard to changing women’s representations in Hindi cinema through an analysis of two item songs. The role that media representations play in the lives of women cannot be undermined or dismissed, as women relate to and construct their identities in relation to media representations whether it is literary or cinematic images. Linguists such as Cameron and Kulick (2003) argue that representations are a resource that individuals draw on in constructing their own identities and ways of doing things. Conversely, these representations draw on, though often selectively, people’s lived experiences and their everyday talk about it. Item Songs in Hindi Cinema and the Postfeminist Debate 3

Postfeminist voices—particularly in and /or from the West—claim that since feminism is no longer relevant, therefore focus has shifted from collective women’s right’s movements to individual woman’s success. The feminist author of the bestselling The Beauty Myth, Wolf (1993), has written an empowering, impassioned manifesto that points the way toward a flexible feminism for the 1990s and beyond. Her analysis is part political, part psychological manual, part activist handbook: her book argues that women should renounce ‘victim feminism’, which casts them as sexually pure, fragile, beleaguered creatures whose problems are all the fault of men. As an alternative, Wolf outlines an anti- dogmatic ‘power feminism’ which sees women as no better and no worse than men, celebrates female sexuality and encourages women to claim their individual voices through a variety of tactics. These include ‘resource groups’ for sharing contacts and increasing access to information and services; consumer campaigns; and pressure on the media to alter their portrayals of women. Wolf theorizes that little girls, as much as boys, have fantasies of absolute dominion but learn to repress their ‘will to power’ at a very early age. Wolf here sketches a psychological road map designed to help women deal with their ambivalence about success, power, equality and money.

Many Southern feminist theorists look at the role of colonial and postcolonial states in shaping gender relations, and the dilemmas created by post-neoliberal and anti- colonial politics who argue that thinking theory from within a decolonial framework is needed in postcolonial nation-states. Giraldo (2016) locates ‘the coloniality of gender’ within postfeminist female subjectivity in the global media representations: defending the political relevance of theory by citing examples of construction of the exotic female other in Western popular media. There, empowerment is articulated by embodying the archetype of the ‘exotic’ sex bomb, whether it is Shakira, Jennifer Lopez or Rihanna having Middle Eastern, Latina and Caribbean roots respectively. These representations--according to Giraldo-- exemplify coloniality at work. She observes that “while a neoliberal gender equality rationale has permeated urban areas' strands of feminism in a decolonial vein have proliferated in rural ones” (2016, p. 162). Agreeing with McRobbie (2004, 2009), she argues that the priority of community over the individual is central to the decolonial options available in Latin America and other postcolonial states.

The rise of item songs and female-centric cinema

The rise of item songs coincides with the recent trend of critically and commercially successful Hindi movies like Queen (2014), Piku (2015) , and Pink ( 2016), with female- centric themes encoding feminist messages. The latter seem to be contesting hegemonic and powerful structures by challenging patriarchal constructions of appropriate femininities, taking on patriarchy head-on by celebrating female success, female sexuality and autonomy. 4 Shirin Zubair

The item songs are a marketing gimmick both for the leading female actors as well as for film makers. From the filmmakers’ point of view, these are primarily included for the commercial success of the film, targeted at common male consumers in cities and small towns with single screens, and are often sponsored by products such as Kareena Kapoor’s famous fevicol se (Dabangg 2, 2012) and Malalika‘s Munni badnaam hui Dabangg 2010), which are sophisticated versions of commercials for Fevicol and Zandobalm respectively. From the point of view of the leading female actors (known as A-list actors) -- who do the item numbers, since such songs are usually catchy, and major hits on the charts, played in discos, bars and weddings -- they agree to do these numbers for various reasons. Among those reasons, are one, they are the quick work of a few days or a week for a hefty payment; two, once the item song is on the music charts, the actor gets invited to perform (on payment) at weddings, award functions and shows, thus making a lot of quick money; and three, usually the item-song girl outshines the female lead in the movie by just doing these numbers. Producers and filmmakers sometimes tend to add these numbers even though they are not part of the original script, but are inserted after the film is completed to grab the attention of the masses and attract them to theatres. A case in point here is the recent inclusion of the famous 1990’s song Oye Oye in the biopic Azhar (2016) featuring the famous Indian cricketer Azhar-ud-Din’s life. The song -- originally filmed by Sangeeta Bijlani and two other female actors in 1990s -- was not part of the original script but was added as an afterthought to the otherwise serious biopic of Azhar-ud-Din’s life. Becvause Azhar left his first wife, Naureen, to marry Sangeeta, this peppy song picturing Nargis Fakhri and two other skimpily dressed girls, which was a hit number in the 90’s, would be an added attraction to draw many a male viewer to the theatre, particularly in cities like Azhar’s home town, Hyderabad.

However, such popular cultural narratives and texts promoting the tropes of individual choice and freedom for young women have been seen by feminist scholars as inextricably connected to new regimes of neo-conservative values promoted by governments in relation to gender equity. Nevertheless, item songs, and new movie genres with a female- centric worldview, can also be viewed as sites or spaces for the enactment of feminisms and feminist identities, even though they are also inextricably linked to the rising culture of consumerism and capitalism in neo-liberal states. Fraser (2013) observes ‘that the movement for women’s liberation pointed simultaneously to two different possible futures…, it promised a new form of liberalism, able to grant women as well as men the goods of individual autonomy, increased choice, and meritocratic advancement. Second- wave feminism was in this sense ambivalent. As I see it, feminism’s ambivalence has been resolved in recent years in favour of the second, liberal-individualist scenario….’

By deconstructing the discourse surrounding two very popular item songs in the light of the above feminist and postfeminist theories, I argue that analysis of item songs as Item Songs in Hindi Cinema and the Postfeminist Debate 5 cultural narratives can serve to further our understanding of the relevance of feminist theories, in our rapidly changing social context: in the wake of postfeminist ideas, as well as in the globalizing narratives dominated by Western frameworks.

Female Success: the new Postfeminist Mantra

Further, an interesting point which merits attention here, is the fact that most of these female actors lead very independent and successful lives and therefore, view this whole business as a means to earn their livelihood and their independence, albeit promoting sexist ideologies and arousing male fantasies. In spite of the inherent sexism and sexualization of women (to sell products and films), what seems at work here are postfeminist ideas of individual choice-- female success and ‘my body my right’ mantra -- as opposed to feminist ideas of women’s equality, particularly their legal and reproductive rights. Postfeminist, capitalist notions of female success and individual choice are capitalized by the leading female actors, most of who would consider these item numbers as a regular part of their work and an easy and quick way to earn, instead of the long drawn- out schedules of films. Almost all the leading A–list female actors in Bollywood such as Rekha, Madhuri, Aishwarya, Priyanka, Katrina, and Kareena have several item numbers to their credit. The only exception is perhaps Kangana Ranaut, who has no such song to her credit. However, she is an actress who, through her lifestyle, work choices and overt feminist articulations, has openly debunked the erstwhile popular myth of Indian woman as submissive, pure and sexually demure, thus paving the way forward for such (post) modern femininities which translate in item songs into women who are active agents of desire and power rather than passive and sexualized objects.

Kangana, in her interview to NDTV, comments that she does ‘feel that success is the best revenge. Women should answer back with sarcasm or success…that’s really killing . She also went on to say that I am okay being called a whore or psychopath (Interview to NDTV: 2016).

Item Song 1: Sheila ki Jawani

In the past, the lines were clearly drawn between the vamp -- who would do such dance numbers in clubs or discos—and the heroine or female lead who would be too virginal, pure and chaste to indulge in such vulgarized body motions as hip-swinging and pelvic gyrations. With the advent of item numbers the lines between good women and bad women are being blurred because leading actresses are performing these numbers, not only in films, but also at public functions and weddings. When viewed in the light of postfeminist discourse, the emergence of item songs in Hindi films coincides with a shift in view toward young female actors who do not regard the discourse in item songs as demeaning or sexualizing. Rather, these women consider performance of such songs an 6 Shirin Zubair

empowering phenomenon -- particularly the song Shiela ki Jawani (the prime of Shiela’s youth), in which the woman enjoys her sexuality and is fully in control, albeit objectified, yet simultaneously enjoys her sexual power over the male gaze without succumbing to it. It is essentially a kind of narcissistic approach by which women find pleasure and enjoyment by just looking at their own bodies. The Rowdy Rani (2016) hints at the fact that these songs are partly shocking because they break taboos regarding female sexuality, as she observes:

I wasn’t sure if my objections arose from the genuine objectification of women or my deep-seated patriarchal notions about how a “decent” woman should look and behave. Observing the near-violent female chest-and-hip thrusting on show, I was reminded of the toe-curling embarrassment we face when one of these sexy performance numbers comes on during family TV time. But why is it uncomfortable to watch these women? Does that scene in Dostana with John Abraham in swimming trunks make us cringe in the same way?

Although she is shown to enjoy male attention but would not yield to it –that is her power over the male gaze—she would beat men at this game. She plays the seductress to the hilt: she arouses men and leaves their desires unrequited and unfulfilled. By foregrounding this sadomasochistic streak, she is reminiscent of Keats’ famous poem La Belle Dame Sans Merci, where the enchantress ensnares men and then leaves them alone: deserted, pale and lonely. The hero enters the scene when he sees a group of men ogling the item girl as he utters: Saala aankhon se baladkar karta hai….iski to which roughly translates as ( expletives)….he rapes with his eyes… ( expletives). The word rape here clearly hints at the carnal desires that her semi-nude body arouses in men. He, however claims to be pining for her love and not lust (see the full lyrics of the song in the appendix when he claims that he has been longing for her to give him a lover’s glance for years and that he would like to take her away from this hell, as his love is for keeps.

Image 1: A still from Shiela ki Jawani Item Songs in Hindi Cinema and the Postfeminist Debate 7

Image 2: A still from Shiela ki Jawani

Although men are shown lusting for her since she is desirable, hot and sexualized by the camera angles which focus on her body parts and gyrations (see Image 1), she does not want a heterosexual relationship. Although she is sexualized in the song as an object of male fantasy and desire, she just stops short of falling prey to the male gaze; thus her wantonness is played up, yet she knows where to stop, how to exploit male attention. In short, she is the quintessential (post)modern woman who is in control of her body, an autonomous and powerful embodiment of postfeminist, capitalist ideologies of individual rights and female success. At times she may toy with the idea of finding a man who can provide all this (car, bungalow, money, etc.) somewhat oscillating between her independence and giving in to a man for all these luxuries, not just for love. Yet like Bridget Jones, she is still looking for the patriarchal Mr. Right here but ultimately rejects his advances because she loves herself more than to trade her independence for all these luxuries and a comfortable lifestyle that a man can offer if she surrenders her body to a patriarchal marriage. Feminists have long debunked the myth of romantic love as a debilitating phenomenon which sweeps women off their feet and ultimately makes them surrender to patriarchy.

Item Song 2: Chikni Chameli

Mulvey (1999) in ‘Visual pleasure and Narrative Cinema’, suggests that the cinematic text is organized along lines that correspond to the cultural subconscious which is essentially patriarchic. The narrative film structures its gaze as masculine. The woman is always the object of the reifying gaze, not the bearer of it.

This image which opens the song is the red silk cloth flowing over the item girl’s body in a tempting way: concealing and revealing the curves of her body simultaneously. 8 Shirin Zubair

This strategy of unveiling the body increases the interest of the viewers, both the men around her and those watching her on the cinema screen. Moreover, the red color of the silk cloth also adds to her seductive power. The men are waiting with bated breath in anticipation of what is to follow. And when the cloth is removed, the camera focuses on the waist of the woman thus itemizing her body parts, as shown in Image 2 below. This masculine gaze behind the camera is supported by men sitting in the auditorium watching the song on the screen. Further sexism in the portrayal is evidenced as the item girl has a bottle of wine tied to her waist, whereas all the men in the song are shown to be fully dressed. The item song is a classic illustration of the sexist adage in the English language: wine, women and song, thus objectifying woman reductively by associating her with sensuality and physical pleasures.

The image of removing the cloth from her body is a very sexually provocative image as it is shown to titillate male fantasies; the men are shown to be in the throes of sexual excitement.

Image 3: A still from Chikni Chameli focusing on specific body parts i.e. cleavage, naval and waist.

The adjective chikni means ‘sexy’ in Hindi, which sums up the gist of the whole item number. When the item girl starts dancing energetically, all the men in the scene also start dancing with her. The image of fire is shown and is also mentioned in the song, an Item Songs in Hindi Cinema and the Postfeminist Debate 9 image which stands for sexuality and is repeatedly shown. Moreover, as the lyrics, “ hussn ki teeli se beedi chilam jalanay aye” unfold, the item girl picks and lights the match stick right from her cleavage. The camera focuses on her cleavage, while the men are dancing and holding fire in their hands, thus making the entire scene highly provocative.

While speaking of the technique of fragmenting the female body, Mills (1995) is of the view that it has two primary effects. First, the body is depersonalized, objectified, and reduced to its parts. Second, since the female protagonist is not represented as a unified conscious physical being, the scene cannot be focalized from her perspective effectively; her experience is written out of the text. Fragmentation is therefore associated with male focalization -- the female is represented as an object, a collection of objects, for the male gaze. This technique of fragmentation is also present in the item song as different female body parts are being objectified. The opening lines of the song are highly suggestive:

Bichoo meray naina, baari zahareeli ankh maaray Kamsin kamariya saali ik thumke se lakh maaray

The individual body parts naina (eyes) and kamar (waist) are objectified and each plays its own part in attracting the attention of the male as shown. And yet ironically, the lyrics of the song also suggest that she is sexually active and experienced: ghaat ghaat ghoomi hoon mian , and that bhooke sheron se khailoon gi main . She plays the seductress to the core as in the other song but is fully in control of her sexuality and also boasts of her sexual prowess (hatheli pe angaare le loon gi main ): she can handle these men as she is not a passive object in the game of seduction. Image 2 illustrates her positioning as the central and leading figure among men who pale in insignificance as compared with her. Her body language suggests that she holds sway as she is shown holding two bottles of wine in her hands like a warrior rather than as an objectified figure. Further, she oozes control and composure: aware of her sexuality, leading men on and yet prepared to strike the men with the same bottle weapons she holds in her hands to ward off unwanted advances. Seen in this perspective, she also resembles La Belle Dame Sans Merci in that she makes them dance to her tunes and is ready to strike head-on if any one tries to trespass the boundaries set by her.

Final Remarks

As shown through the analysis of two item numbers, such representations are highly ambivalent and politically driven to redefine Indian femininities. The women in the item songs—just like the female actors who perform them debunk traditional Indian femininities, are autonomous and powerful, and yet simultaneously are sexualized and objectified to attract audiences, to raise the sales of tickets. They are thus both subjects and objects of media discourses on the new woman in the ‘modern-colonial’ (Giraldo, 2016) 10 Shirin Zubair

capitalist and consumer societies globally. A woman in such item songs may be a whore or a prostitute, yet she has control and power over men, unlike the subordinate and submissive wife and sister; unlike the wife and sister, the whore is sexually and economically liberated and independent. However, amid this postfeminist neo-liberalism, ‘traditional feminists’ are raising concerns over the fact that structural and institutional gender equality has been traded within neo-liberal, capitalist regimes by similar discourses of individual success and empowerment. This trade-off means that states have abandoned macro-structural efforts to fight poverty, as well as social and gender inequalities. Although these songs in Hindi films provide a discursive space, albeit limited for enactment of female agency, cultural theorists are of the view that such cultural narratives, promoting tropes of individual choice and freedom for women, are connected to the political regimes’ agendas. Theorists believe that such use of postfeminist neo-liberalism deflects attention away from addressing the structural causes of gender inequalities, as well as from collective women’s rights movements, through promoting new discourses of individual success.

References

Cameron, Deborah and Kulick, Don. 2003. Language and Sexuality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Giraldo, Isis. 2016. “Coloniality at work: Decolonial critique and the postfeminist regime.” Feminist Theory, Vol. 17 (2):157-173. McRobbie, Angela. 2009. “Postfeminism and popular culture.” Feminist Media Studies, 4(3): 255-264. Mills, Sara .1995. Feminist Stylistics . London: Routledge. Mulvey, Laura. 1999. ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.’ Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings . Eds. Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen (pp. 833-44). New York: Oxford. Narayan, Uma. 1997. Dislocating Cultures: Identities, Traditions and Third-World Feminism . New York: Routledge. Spivak, Gayatri C. 1988. ‘Can the Subaltern Speak?’ In Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture, eds. C. Nelson and L. Grossberg. Basingstoke: Macmillan. Wolf, Naomi. 1993. Fire with Fire: The New Female Power and How to Use it. New York: Random House. McRobbie, Angela. 2009. Postfeminism and popular culture. Feminist Media Studies, 4(3) 255-264.

Item Songs in Hindi Cinema and the Postfeminist Debate 11

Websites

Ranaut, Kangana. 2016. http://www.ndtv.com/blog/i-wrote-off-kangana-ranaut-shes-prov ed-me-and-many-others-utterly-wrong-1403149?pfrom=home-topstories Last accessed 6/5/16. Baig, Aneesha. 2016. I wrote off Kangana Ranaut. She’s proved me and many others utterly wrong. http://www.ndtv.com/blog/i-wrote-off-kangana-ranaut-shes-proved- me-and-many-others-utterly-wrong-1403149?pfrom=home-topstories , last accessed 26/9/16 Fraser, Nancy. 2016. How feminism became capitalist handmaiden- and how to reclaim it http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/14/feminism-capitalist- handmaiden-neoliberal Last accessed 12/5/16 Ranaut, Kangana. 2016. Am Ok With Being Called Whore Or Psychopath http://www. ndtv.com/video/entertainment/am-ok-with-being-called-whore-or-psychopath- kangana-ranaut-to-ndtv-414452?hp last accessed on 4/5/16 Rowdy Rani. 2016. The objectification of women in Bollywood item songs. https://rowdyrani.com/2014/04/02/the-objectification-of-women-in-bollywood- item-songs/Last accessed 12/5/16 Shabana Azmi brilliantly points out why item songs are the biggest toxins in Bollywood http://www.storypick.com/shabana-azmi-on-item-songs/

Filmography Bahl, Vikas (2014) Queen . Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. D’Souza, Tony. 2016. Azhar . Produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor and Sony Pictures Networks. Kashyap, Anurag. 2010. Dabangg . Produced by Arbaz Khan. Mumbai Shree Ashtavinayak Cine vision Ltd. Khan, Arbaaz. 2012. Dabangg 2 . Produced by Arbaaz Khan Productions. Khan, Farah. 2010. Tees Maar Khan . Produced by Twinkle Khanna, Shirish Kunder and Ronnie Screwala. Nawaz, Yasir. 2016. Wrong Number . Produced by Yasir Nawaz, Nida Yasir, Hassan Zia. Malhotra, Karan. 2012. Agneepath . Produced by karan Johar and Hiroo Johar. Qureshi, Nabeel. 2014. Na Maloom Afraad . Produced by Fizza Ali Mirza and Mehdi Ali. Sircar, Shoojit. 2015. Pik u. Produced by N. P. Singh, Ronnie Lahiri and Sneha Rajani. Sircar, Shoojit. 2016. Pink . Produced by Shoojit Sircar.

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AppendixA: Shiela Ki Jawani: Lyrics with English Translation

Man to other men ogling at the item girl: Man: Rogue, he rapes with his Saala aankhon se baladkar karta hai….iski to… eyes…expletives… Item Girl: maane na maane yeh dunya saari Item Girl: The whole world is pining for mere ishq ki hai diwani /ji karta hai hole hole my love/I want to seductively embrace se main to khud ko gale lagaon/ kisi aur ki myself/ why would I need anyone when I mujh ko zaroorat kya mein to khud se pyaar can love my own self/ jataon / What’s my name? What’s my name? Whats my name, my name is Shiela/Shiela ki My name is Shiela/The prime of Shiela’s jawani youth (refrain and chorus) Mein tere haath na ani/ Silly silly silly boys I’m too sexy for you, won’t ever come into muhje follow follow karte hain/jab unki taraf your hands /Silly silly silly boys follow dedekhon batein har hark arte hain/ he magar me/try to chat me up/but all their moves beasar muhj pe har paintra/ fails on me/ Man: Hai re aise tarse humko ho gaye so arse I know you want it (my body) but you’re re/sookhe dil pe maigha banke teri nazaria never gonna get it/The prime of Shiela’ barse re youth (chorus sings) Item Girl: paisa, gaari, mehnga ghar/ jaibain Man: been pining for your love since ages/ khali Fatichar/ my heart longs for your love like the desert misses the rains/ Item Girl: I know you want it ( my body) but you’re never gonna get it/won’t ever come into your hands / Shiela’ youth (chorus sings) Ain’t got a body like Shiela?/ Everyone wanna body like Shiela money, car, luxurious villa, I need a man who can gimme all that/Empty pockets jobless/No, no I don’t like him like that you’re never going to get my body ….whatever

Item Songs in Hindi Cinema and the Postfeminist Debate 13

Appendix B: Chikni Chameli: Lyrics with English Translation

Bichhoo mere naina badi zehereeli ankh maare my eyes are like scorpions, their wink is Kamsin kamariya saali ik thumke se lakh maare very poisonous Note hazaaron ke, khulle chhutta karaane aayi this damned slender waist kills lacs with Husn ki teeli se beedi chillam jalaane aayi a jerk, Aayi chikni chameli chhup ke akeli pawwa it has come to get change for notes of chadha ke aayi thousands, Aayi chikni chameli chhup ke akeli pawwa (she) has come to light cigarettes ‘n pipes chadha ke aayi.. with the matchstick of beauty.. Jungle mein aaj mangal karungi the beautiful Chameli has come all alone Bhookhe sheron se khelungi main in the hiding and drunk on a quarter.. Makkhan jaisi hatheli pe angaare le lungi main the beautiful Chameli has come all alone Haaye! gehre paani ki machhli hoon Raja in the hiding and drunk. I'll do a magic* Ghaat Ghaat dariya mein ghoomi hoon main in the jungle Teri nazron ki lehron se haar ke doobi hoon main I'll play with hungry lions, Hoye.. jaanleva jalwa hai I'll take fireballs on my palm like butter, Dekhne mein halwa hai Oh! I am a fish of deep waters o my dear, Pyaar se paros doongi toot le zaraa I have roamed in all rivers** Yeh toh trailer hai poori filam dikhane aayi I have drowned only after losing to the Husn ki teeli se beedi-chilam jalaane aayi waves of your gaze... aayi chikni chameli chhup ke akeli pavva chadha Oh, this charisma is a killer, ke aayi (even though) it looks simple/halwa***, ayi chikni chameli chhup ke akeli pauua chadha I'll serve with love, just eat like anything.. ke aayi.. this is the trailer, I have come to show the complete film.. Banjar basti mein aayi hai masti she has come to light cigarettes n pipes Aisa namkeen chehra tera with the matchstick of beauty. Meri neeyat pe chadhke chhoote na hai rang in the barren street, fun has come, gehra tera so salty your face is.. Joban ye mera crajy hai raja your color is deep and doesn't go once Saare pardo ko kaatungi main comes on my intention Shaamein meri akeli hain aaja sang tere baatungi o dear, my youth is crazy main I'll cut all the curtains, Haaye! baaton mein ishaara hai come, my evenings are lonely, will share Jisme khel saara hai them with you, Tod ke tijoriyon ko loot le zara Oh, there is a sign in my talks, Choom ke zakhmo pe thoda malham lagaane aayi in which all the game is there.. Husn ki teeli se beedi chillam jalaane aayi just break into the cash chest and loot it.. it has come to kiss and put a balm on the wounds.. 14 Shirin Zubair

Dr. Shirin Zubair is Professor of English at Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore. She has taught English and Linguistics for over thirty years and published internationally in scholarly journals. Her research interests include feminism and gender, postcolonialism and English Studies, and women’s representations in popular culture.