Can We Stop With These Overly Sexualised Songs To Gain Momentum?

Deepika Padukone is all over the internet since morning today for her brand new song release Besharam Rang from the movie Pathaan.  Shah Rukh Khan and Padukone starrer Pathaan is a long-awaited film for Bollywood fans and the very first released song reminds us what's wrong with Bollywood. It is almost 2023 and we are still stuck objectifying female actors with such songs for popularity.

Every big-budget Bollywood film has one 'item number' that sexualises women in every possible sense. The song most of the time plays no role in the film and it is added to grab public attention only. Why are we still okay with filmmakers trying to gain momentum at women's expense? Sexualising women in songs impact a whole generation on how they will be treating their female counterparts. Bollywood hasn't done enough to represent women of all sizes, colours, or sexual orientations, objectifying is just adding to the set standards of beauty.

Besharam Rang Sexualised Deepika Padukone

The ">song Besharam Rang was released this morning on YouTube and has 2 million views in two hours with all the social media platforms dropping their jaws at the combined hotness of Khan and Padukone. The song right from its first shot is all about sexualising Deepika Padukone and in most parts look unnecessary. The song is from a female perspective and lip-synced by Padukone, it talks about a woman being robbed by her past lovers and the thought of that torments her while she has thrown away the notion of modesty and claims that the world is yet to see her true colours.

The song might have attempted to show Padukone's character in a liberating light who is enjoying herself dancing away on a beach. Khan's presence is unmissable but the focus remains on Padukone throughout the song. But what is the need to be sexualised in that same old male gaze for liberation? Doesn't it cancel the point in itself? Also, the close-ups of Padukone and her flawless body reminds us of body image issues and the fact that the majority of Indian women do not belong to the body size she represents but dying to reach there at the cost of their physical and mental health.

What Padukone is wearing or how is she dancing is not the problem but how the song is portrayed to address the male gaze is highly problematic. Bollywood has time and again not represented real women and their feelings in films. If it is an ode of a heartbroken woman who is trying to show something new to the world, don't think too many women see themself craving for such a creepy male gaze at that point. The sexual undertones were outright vulgar and uncomfortable to watch, Indian audiences deserve better songs and female representation in film.

Views expressed are author's own.

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