Her banner year was 1949 when she was featured in over 17 films performing dances. Azoorie in the 1930s often performed item numbers Cuckoo was the next popular item dancer in the late 40s.
Item numbers had been featured in Bollywood from as early as the 1930s. The item number would feature an item girl who appeared in the film as a dancer, usually in a bar or nightclub, and was only in the film for the duration of that song. The classic meaning of item number refers to highly sexualized songs with racy imagery and suggestive lyrics. This is because item in Mumbai film slang is used by Indian men to objectify women. Sometimes, established female and male actors will appear in item numbers (a phenomenon billed as a "special appearance" by that actor).Īlthough the origin of the term "item number" is obscure, it is likely that it derives its meaning from objectification of women. Item numbers usually feature one or more persons other than the lead actors. However, second-generation South Asian women are more commonly featured in item numbers than men. Ī female actor, singer, or dancer, especially someone who is poised to become a star, who appears in an item number is known as an item girl (there are item boys as well). It is thus a vehicle for commercial success that ensures repeat viewing. They are favoured by filmmakers as they afford the opportunity to pick potential hit songs from the stocks, since they do not add to the continuity of the plot.
The main aim of an item number is to entertain movie-goers and to lend support to the marketability of the film by being featured in trailers. The term is commonly used within Indian films ( Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Bengali) to describe a catchy, upbeat, often sexually provocative dance sequence for a song in a movie. In Indian cinema, an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali and Punjabi cinema
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