Kangana Ranaut says ‘seduction has nothing to do with vulgarity’, shares Madhubala dance number as example

Amid renewed discussion on the term ‘item’ being used to describe women especially when related to ‘item songs’, actor Kangana Ranaut posted a video of the song “Aaiye Meharbaan” from the film Howrah Bridge, featuring the late actor Madhubala. Kangana cited the song as an example of how to do such sequences without objectifying women.
She wrote, “Sensuality and seduction has nothing to do with vulgarity and raunchy item numbers… This song has everything, yet there is no objectification of woman and her body parts.”

Last month, a Mumbai court sentenced a man to one-and-a-half years imprisonment for harassing a minor girl, noting that his use of the word ‘item’ for her was derogatory. The court said that “using the term ‘item’ to address any girl is obviously insulting in nature.’
Special dance numbers featuring women have been a staple of Indian films, and major movies are still churning them out as a marketing tactic. Just last month, Nora Fatehi was featured in the song “Manike” from the film Thank God, while Kriti Sanon appeared in the Bhediya song “Thumkeshwari” and Katrina Kaif starred in the song “Kaali Teri Gutt” from her upcoming film Phone Bhoot.
In an interview with India.com, Kangana had claimed that she had never done such dance numbers, and nor has she ever endorsed fairness creams. Last year, Kangana had slammed a politician for calling her a ‘naachne gaane waali (item girl)’, and in the same breath attacked her contemporaries for doing special dance numbers. She’d written in a tweet, “Whoever this fool is does he know I am no Deepika Katrina or Alia…. I am the only one who refused to do item numbers, refused to do big hero ( Khan /Kumar) films which made entire Bullywoodiya gang men +women against me. I am a Rajput woman I don’t shake a** I break bones.”
When actor Swara Bhasker shared a video of Kangana performing a special dance number in the 2013 film Rajjo, Kangana lashed out against her, and wrote in a tweet, “Whenever I impose difficult questions on A lers all B lers come like sepoys, item numbers is essentially a song which isn’t consequential to the plot of the film, uses derogatory language for woman, even when I played a nautch girl I made sure it’s not derogatory for woman.”
Kangana was later suspended from Twitter, but in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover, it has been suggested that her account could be reinstated.