Shreya Ghoshal recently brought to the fore the large issue of representation of women’s perspectives in music in Bollywood, noting that nearly all songs continue to be written by men. In a candid interview with Lily Singh, the winning singer revealed her fears and reminisced about her own past experiences, including embarrassment at her hit song, “Chikni Chameli.”
Ghoshal conceded that one of her own tracks, like “Chikni Chameli,” teetered on the edge of being sexy and pure objectification. She explained, “There is a very, very thin line between being sensual, being sexy, and being just flat-out objectified. The more time has passed, the more I’m realizing it, especially watching little girls sing these songs and not get the context. When they come up to me saying, ‘We love your song! Can we sing it for you?’ I get embarrassed. To have a five or six-year-old sing those words just doesn’t sit right with me.”
She continued to say that if women were the writers of these lyrics, they would be able to portray themes of sensuality more gracefully. “To talk about being sexy or sensuous is not wrong, but the way it is written is necessary. A woman would do it differently, and attitudes are significant. In Indian society, we have to create some standards. Films and music are a significant part of people’s lives, and hit songs become a part of cultural history. I don’t want to be a part of that type of history.”
Ghoshal’s comments sparked an angry debate on social media, including on Reddit, where varying opinions were offered. One of the commenters noted, “Shreya is right. ‘Chikni Chameli’ is straight-up crass and tacky. I never liked Katrina in it.” Others questioned her opinion, pointing out examples of her singing the song on Indian Idol, with one user commenting, “She sang this song herself and seemed to have fun doing it. Hypocrisy really knows no bounds.”
It was also condemned when sung in concerts by its supporters, with one of them saying, “I attended her concerts, and she sang it both times!” Another said, “She keeps singing ‘Chikni Chameli’ at concerts. A little double standards!” Another criticized her new Telugu song, saying that it has the same subject matter and that it was done for commercial reasons.
About “Chikni Chameli”:
“Chikni Chameli” is an item number from the 2012 Bollywood film Agneepath, featuring Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, and Sanjay Dutt. It is a song rendered by Shreya Ghoshal and written by Ajay-Atul and turned to be an overnight success in no time, showcasing Katrina Kaif’s dance talent.
