They steam up the screen with hips that certainly don't lie. For a few minutes all is forgotten the plot, hero, heroine as they shimmy and beguile amidst piercing whistles and applause.We call these women 'item' girls; incidently , Wikipedia defines as an"item number" as a catchy, upbeat dance song in an Indian movie that has no relevance to the plot of the film. True, except perhaps for Helem's rescue act in Sholay and Don, because these bodacious women don't really contribute much to the storyline. But their movies and the songs in question have a longer shelf life than the movies themselves at stage shows across the world. While item girls-turned-heroines in Mumbai (think Koena Mitra) make a big noise about the term ‘item’ being dero gatory, our wild cats down South don’t have such servations.
Ambitious and confident about where they are headed, the Seekh-le girl, Mumait Khan, Rahasya and Sona say it like it is.
Rahasya, 28
‘‘I prefer to be hated for who I am than to be loved for someone I am not,’’ This is the Maharashtrian’s status message on Facebook. The real Rahasya is utterly unpredictable and candid. On her Facebook page, you will find photos of Lord Krishna sharing space with her glam shots. When I call her up, she is initially
apprehensive. ‘‘Are you sure you would not project me vulgarly, babes?’’ Once convinced, she is a lot of fun. ‘‘Babes, I am called the nrityamohini of the South,’’ she says, laughing non-stop. She is full of praise for Rakhi Sawant who she thinks is ‘‘genuine’’. And she is clued into the double standards of the film world.
‘‘Women in wester n outfits are still considered immoral. Yet films and advertisements always like to sell their stuff through sexy women,’’ she chuckles.” Mahima Chowdhary, Jeyam Ravi, Trisha, Yana Gupta and a few others are her closest pals. She will be choreographing a Dharani-directed movie soon.
Breakthrough moment: Vasoolraja M.B.B.S made a huge difference in my life and it got me the best glamour artist award (Vijay Awards, 2004). I doubt if any other item girl was similarly honoured. Sharing a fantasy: It does not involve a man but is a house full of money, a Porsche, a penthouse and a boutique. To dream big you have to fantasise bigger! I also want to choreograph a stylish song in Tamil minus ‘green shirt, yellow pants and MRF tyre bodies’. It's a need to reveal your body to make a dance look sexy. It’s fantastically glamorous experience with a million eyes at you. I get a high simply by being in the middle all that attention.
The item girl dilemma: Which actress is not doing an item song these days? Thanks to Yana Gupta, Aishwarya and Bipasha Basu, Bollywood respects sexy dance routines. And we have the same fan following as the heroines. They find us more approachable. Sharing a fantasy: It does not involve a man but is a house full of money, a Porsche, a penthouse and a boutique. To dream big you have to fantasise bigger! I also want to choreograph a stylish song in Tamil minus green shirt, yellow pants and MRF tyre bodies’.
Fitness special: I work out regularly, combining cardio weights and take a special protein shake and six small meals a day. What you didn’t know: I studied acting at the Kishore Namit Kapoor school in Mumbai and am a trained classical dancer.
Sona, 28
Born to a French father and Sri Lankan mother, Sona studied in Delhi and Pune. A graduate in Psychology, she has a diploma in Make-up and Hair Styling from the University of London. This former Miss South India (2002) is already 37 films old and her roles in Mrigam and Kuselan have been much appreciated.
Breakthrough moment: Mrigam really gave me lot of mileage (she received the best supporting actress Award from Vijay TV for it).
Work code: People say my smile adds more ‘oomph’ to my performances. At the end of the day, it is about looking hot. Faking it will only make you look vulgar. I am plump but when I dance, I don’t worry about anything else. I feel glamour oozing from every pore of my body. The item girl dilemma: I am impatient and can’t do one thing for a long time. Unless I get strong character roles, I am not keen on playing the heroine. Now it is fashionable to be an item girl. After all, item girls are also part of mainstream cinema.
From the sets: Unlike an ordinary song or movie sequence, item songs always keep everyone in a good mood. We share light banter on the sets and there is no
tension. While filming, I like to think I am the sexiest woman on earth. Fitness special: I don’t have a particular fitness mantra but I do try to stay away from oily food.
Sharing a fantasy: I’d like to kiss the actor Vijay in a movie. Looking ahead: I am reprising the famous Nila Vanathil from Nayagan in SV Shekhar’s new movie in which I am attempting four different dance forms — jazz, salsa, tap dance, and dapankoothu.
Not just movies: Uniq is getting popular in Chennai fashion circles. Taking my bold image into consideration, I decided to start this boutique with funky clothes and
accessories sourced from across the world.
Mumait Khan, 22 AT 13,
Mumait was already part of Mumbaibased dancer Remo’s group. The pretty Pakistani made her debut as a background dancer in Sanjay Gupta’s Kaante (Ishq Samandhar). The Munnaibhai MBBS auditions gave her her first break — who can forget the dusky charmer in red leotards swinging over an awestruck Jimmy Shergill in the number, Seekh-le.Coming up: Kandaswamy, starring Vikram.
Breakthrough moment: Definitely Seekh-le. Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine that song would be such a big hit. And then came the Tamil Pokkiri song with Vijay.
Work code: My bindaas attitude counts. I try to be myself on screen. If I don’t enjoy what I am doing, it shows in my performance.
The item girl dilemma: I have never felt offended with the term. After all, it is my job. Take Rakhi Sawant, love or hate her, you can’t ignore her. There are people who come to see a movie simply for my dance.
From the sets: The atmosphere is fantastic and if you have great co-stars, it helps. I pull everybody’s leg.
Sharing a fantasy: I don’t have fantasies and like to take each day as it comes. I only have one dream and that is about the orphanage I am setting up in Hyderabad. In fact, I am a ‘home girl’ who likes to dance with my mom and I hate partying.
Fitness special: Dancing is exercise itself, though I do some cardio thrice a week. I have a personal trainer and I stock my fridge with a special fruit drink from the US.
What you didn’t know: The next time the Shah Rukh- Aishwarya number, Ishq Kameena, is playing on TV, take a close look at the dancers — I am in it.
faces Rahasya, Sona and Mumait Khan on what it is to be hot, sexy and always in demand.
By Neelima Menon
The others
Sana Khan: This Kolkata-based model isn’t a fulltime item girl but her dance number in Silambattams a big hit. ‘‘Why should we do rigorous workouts to
maintain our body? It is to make one look beautiful.So there is no point in acting modest by covering our bodies,’’ is how Sana likes to put it.
Suja: The Chennai girl started her ‘item number’ career at the age of 14 and has already acted in more than 14 movies (Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam). Some of them include Varnajalam, Plus 2, Ullakadathal, Maayavi and Maamu. ‘‘The song I accept should be prominent and good. I have certain limitations when it comes to the costume and will not do vulgar steps,’’ says Suja.
Abhinayashree: The 20-year-old daughter of Anuradha is currently making her mark in Telugu cinema. In addition to dance numbers, she has her share of character roles in Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.
Item central
TR Rajakumari, considered to be the first item girl in Indian cinema, was a hottie in several Tamil films in the 1940s. Then came the buxom trio — Jayamalini,
Jyothilakshmi and Anuradha. By the early 80s, they passed the baton to Silk Smitha, Disco Shanthi and Kuyili, following which a few leading heroines took over
the role of dancing in itsy bitsy numbers.