JOIN US'Item girl tag silly and derogatory'
Actress Malaika Arora Khan, whose popular dance numbers like Chaiyya Chaiyya, Munni Badnam Hui have raised the bar for her contemporaries to match her style, finds the item girl tag ‘derogatory and silly’.
“I don’t like the term ‘item girl’. Why not look at it (item song) as a special song? A song that is creating a hype and entertainment. I find it silly and derogatory,” said Malaika. Unlike in the past, currently mainstream actresses like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif and others are also doing special songs in different films.
When asked if the leading ladies are intruding the space, Malaika said she did not think so. “There is enough work for everyone. Everybody has a role or part to play, if somebody fits the bill that is what matters,” she added.
Though Malaika has proved herself as a dancer on screen, one format she wants to learn is belly dancing. “I would love to learn popping, locking and robotics, gymnastics and acrobatics, it is amazing to learn these things. I know the basic things about belly dancing but not the technicalities, I want to learn it. I wish to learn more of dancing. I have been associated with dance since a long time, yet there is so much more to learn,” she said.
Malaika says the space of belly dancing is largely unexplored in Bollywood movies. “We have done a few steps here and there in the films, be it Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif, they all have done it but not the real part. There is no one who has actually done belly dancing on screen.”
Malaika, whose song Munni Badnam Hui in Bollywood film Dabangg (2010) was a hit, says nothing interesting has come up in terms of special dance numbers. The actress is back to judge yet another season of television reality show, ‘India’s Got Talent’.“Last time, I was there for half the season. This time I am getting the feel of everything as I am there from beginning. Previously, I was there from elimination part and it was tough. This time it is insane amount of work. In a day, we have 20-25 acts minimum,” Malaika said.
On the talent pool at ‘India’s Got Talent’, she said some of the acts pulled off by contestants in the current season are breathtaking. “Some of the acts this season are hysterical, beyond anyone’s comprehension. The acts are breathtaking, mind-blowing, death-defying and amazing. I don’t think there is any show which provides you a platform to showcase varied kind of talent from all over the country,” she said.