‘When item songs are released, all other good songs take a backseat, just like backbenchers!’ I heard Gulzar sahib tell a Radio Jockey sometime towards the end of last month. Since he sounded a tad disappointed, I sat down and pondered ponderously.

True, the producer will want to keep the item song as the frontispiece of his movie. After all, many pathetic movies have been financially salvaged by a sleazy number or two. And in his own case, Gulzar sahib could perhaps wonder if his subtler melodies are getting eclipsed by the deep shadows thrown by his item numbers. For instance, would “Jiya jale” and “Aye Ajnabi” (both from Dil Se) have been better appreciated had he not written “Chaiyya Chaiyya” for the same movie? Indeed, “Chaiyya Chaiyya” was voted by people from 155 countries as the ninth best in a World’s Top Ten list created by the BBC. Similarly, the title song of Omkara has a smaller following as compared to the two sizzling, immortal item numbers that blessed Bipasha Basu’s career.

The reach and impact of item songs cannot be underestimated. And I’d like to argue that so long as it is Gulzar sahib who’s writing these numbers, we have every reason to celebrate them. Absolutely. The producer might want Nancy Friday lyrics, but Gulzar sahib will give him Camus or Shakespeare that sounds like Nancy Friday. The marketing team may not care if the song sticks out of the screenplay like a sore thumb, but he will not rest until it is organically located in the story’s setting and language. A desirable damsel might stoop provocatively in front of salivating men when she mouths his words, but he himself will not allow those words to stoop. In other words, Gulzar sahib has the gift of transforming the raunchy into the sensuous.

Let me demonstrate this with a few examples. To the best of my knowledge, Gulzar sahib has given us the following item numbers: “Chaiyya Chaiyya” (Dil Se), “Marjaani” (Billu Barber), “Kajra Re” (Bunty aur Babli), “Beedi jalayile” and “Namak Ishq Ka” (Omkara), and “Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai” (Aks). (And although many may disagree, I feel that a couple of songs from No Smoking, especially “Jab Bhi Ciggaret” (sic), qualify as item numbers). Two of these numbers – “Kajra Re” and “Chaiyya Chaiyya” – have won him Filmfare awards. And all these songs are marked by some or all of the following characteristics:

A preambleThe song will not begin with the punch phrase. There will be lovely preamble to set the context. In “Kajra Re”, the seductress begins by saying: ‘Aisi nazar se dekha us zaalim ne chowk par, humne kaleja rakh diya chaaku ki nokh par.’ Yes, she has declared her helplessness and the man can now take the game forward. Similarly, “Namak Ishq Ka” begins with the woman stating that she has swallowed the moon (‘Chand nigal gayi’). Is it any wonder that her body’s in heat? She then goes on to describe that heat and how it propels her actions.

Absence of vulgarityThere will be the occasional double entendre (‘Bulaliyo re, Bulaliyo re dupehri, lagayilo re, lagayilo re kacheri’), but it will be subtle, almost classy. And, sorry, there will be no mention of intimate kisses placed on the lover’s body. But the woman is bound to feel the taste of “love-salt” on her tongue. Even a sense of urgency is conveyed in a manner suitable for the living room (‘meri angdayi na toote tu aaja’). Of course, the lines will sometimes be suggestive (‘ja padosi ke chulhe se aag layile’), but notice how wonderfully this line blends into the overall context of wintry conditions and the need for warmth.

Unobtrusive messagingNone of the songs in No Smoking encourage the act of smoking. In fact, all of them talk about the aftermath and the dissatisfaction associated with the habit. But you’ll be hard pressed to find a preachy line anywhere. And in between, Gulzar sahib will insert an ambiguous line such as: ‘Uple jaisi jalthi hai’ (burns like a disc of dried cowdung). And the listener can make what he wants of it!

DivinityThe most endearing aspect of “Chaiyya Chaiyya” is that it invokes the divine at every turn. Not surprising when you consider that it is based on a Sufi song written by Bulleh Shah and Rehman was, in fact, looking for a Punjabi devotional song. Interestingly, the song was shot in the Nilgiri mountains of Tamil Nadu, was meant to depict the Indian north-east and is written wholly in Urdu! Despite the mishmash behind the scenes, the song has an ethereal quality to it, never mind how Malaika Arora Khan was asked to interpret it. Personally, I feel that the sentiment behind true love is captured fittingly in these lines: “Taaweez banaa ke pehnoo usse aayat ki tarah mil jaaye kahin, mera nagma wahi mera kalma wahi’. It just can’t get any more magical than that.

Over the decades, Gulzar sahib has enthralled us in myriad ways. He reinforced our childhoods with songs and limericks such as “Lakdi Ki Kaati” and ‘Chaddi pehen ke phool kila hai’. He made some of us listen to ‘Is mod se jaate hain’ in a loop until we understood at least a portion of it! He extrapolated Ghalib’s couplets (such as ‘Dil dhoondtha hai’) for us. And for the few amongst us who appreciate a Triveni, he has given memorable albums such as “Koi Baat Chale”. In a serendipitous way, I think his item numbers round off his oeuvre and make him complete. Perhaps he wanted to teach us that item numbers are not just meant to be seen, but listened to as well. And along the way, he has allowed everybody in the audience to get a taste of his genius.

Eshwar Sundaresan is a Bangalore-based writer, freelance journalist, ideator and entrepreneur. His works are Googlable.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.