Vishal as item number specialist

Though Vishal Bharadwaj claims to be at ease making soft, soulful numbers, his chops as a creator of item numbers in Hindi movies cannot be denied. Since Maachis, Vishal has composed some great item numbers. Before I go any further, I must define the term item number.

The generally accepted definition of the term is a fast paced song that features scantily clad women dancing to suggestive lyrics. Going by this definition narrows down the choices. I, on the other hand, have a broader definition. An item number is a song, inserted into the narrative of a film for the purposes of changing the narrative and increasing its pace. A film may be chugging along, when up comes a song that doesn’t fit in the narrative of the story completely, but increases its pace. And it may not necessarily feature scantily clad women.

Maachis was a grim movies, with no space needed for an item song, right? But wait, what about Chappa Chappa Charkha Chale? The song pops up without reason, doesn’t contribute to the forwarding the story ups the tempo of the narrative. An item number. No Women. No skimpy clothes. But still, an Item number.

Back to the the topic, Vishal Bharadwaj has shown that he has a knack for item numbers. His melodies are usually simple, with a nice hook around which the entire song is composed. Vishal Bharadwaj understands that the item song need not be unnecessarily fast paced - most of his songs follow a slower rhythm, but are catchy nonetheless.

Vishal first showed is skill for an item number with Chappa Chappa from Maachis. The song was not actually part of the film’s narrative, but did increase the tempo of the movie.

Since then he has displayed a talent for peppy item numbers. To his credit are Bidi Jalai Le, Dhan Ta Nan, Oh Boy Charlie, all numbers that are only remotely connected to the film. In all of these, there is a certain level of finesse is evident.