We love Item numbers

Item numbers are now being termed as 'aesthetic'. Agreed. So do we now cite Item numbers as classic examples of aestheticism? The recent waves created in the country by 'Sheila ki Jawani' is just a proof of how voyeuristic the Indian audience is. So all we want is a satiation of the hunger in us, notwithstanding the long term effects of such pleasures. What has the world come to? Are we completely forgetting the upcoming generation in our endeavour to earn that extra buck? Or are we least bothered to even care? No doubt Katrina has done a brilliant job in that song, shaking her booty to the tune and making men go weak in their knees. That's what she was told to do anyway. But did the director Farah Khan not spare a thought about what effect this song could have on young immature minds? Or perhaps she enjoys the sight of her children dressed in bikinis and gyrating to such songs. It probably serves the purpose of evoking her sexual sensories which her husband seems anyway incapable of doing.
Major reality shows dealing remotely with children and their talent to 'dance' (well that's what they term it formally although the children are made to do much more!) have kids as young as 7-10 year old, dressed in skimpy clothes, thrusting their body in and out to some equally degraded song. The more the thrust, the better the dance. And we have the audience (which includes the child's parents), and the judges ogling at the little girl, trying to get a 'better view'. The performance ends with the audience hooting and whistling, and if a particular performance involves a famous item song accompanied by an equally erotic performance by the child, there are appeals of making the kid repeat the whole thing 'Once More'. And so they begin again, trying their best to be Munni and show the world that she too is 'badnaam'.
The children do not even understand the lyrics of the song, leave alone the dance moves. The choreography too at times is so vulgar that you feel uncomfortable to watch it if you're with family. How do the parents then allow their children to perform to such nasty moves? Is fame all that a person strives to achieve? And probably fame in this way is much easier and lucrative to attain. Why do the same parents then complain when their daughter grows up and one fine day, while partying in the night in a short skirt gets raped? Did they themselves not teach her to don those clothes earlier? How sadistic are we, that we watch a dance and then rate it according to the raunchiness with an SMS? Yes it is raunchiness, for whoever says they judge that performance on the basis of the dance is either speaking a whole lot of bullshit or is not ready to admit that it had kindled his orgasmic fantasy.
Dance once upon a time was a mode of creative expression, with a whole lot of beauty in it that made watching it a delight. Kudos to Bollywood for reducing it down to a medium of arousing the sexual desires in a person and terming it as an 'item number'- like that reduces the grossness from the whole thing. What happened to those good old days when reality show for kids meant Bourvita Quiz Contest? (Do they make such kind of shows anymore). Now in their pursuit of fame, parents urge their children not to watch National Geographic but the video of 'Babuji zara dheere chalo' to get that inner thrust right which will ultimately earn her the accolades. Perhaps the parents of Bollywood should dress their own children in such skimpy, body baring outfit and then judge the suggestive moves and rate them accordingly. Wonder whose kid will steal the show?
I am certainly no one to judge such decisions, considering that every one has their own opinion and every parent would always think of the betterment of his/her child. An article here or a talk show there too will not change anything overnight. But just a little bit of consciousness on the part of our filmmakers and the censor board will put an end to a lot of unwanted messages going across. An item song has now become mandatory in almost all Hindi films- so the plot, story, acting is of less importance when compared to that one dance which contributes in raking in the moolah. The director hits an additional jackpot when the song features a big name. It is ultimate 'paisa vasool' in an otherwise mindless movie and the public are happy, for everyday you do not get to see a Katrina, Malaika or a Yana generously exhibiting their belongings for the benefit of the public. How thoughtful of them! So this will continue, and kids will wear flashy outfits on stage and gyrate to 'catchy' numbers. Perhaps the eveteasers should turn their attention to the starlets that perform these songs in films and tease them to such an extent that they shudder next time they are given an item number. Perhaps being immoral is the only path to future morality!