We don’t talk about male item songs: Ayushmann Khurrana

Bollywood is often accused of objectifying women, whether as mere love interests or item girls. However, actor Ayushmann Khurrana is not one to believe that, and says the portrayal of women in films cannot be blamed for harassment or crime.

Bollywood is often accused of objectifying women, whether as mere love interests or item girls. However, actor Ayushmann Khurrana is not one to believe that, and says the portrayal of women in films cannot be blamed for harassment or crime.

Ayushmann-Khurrana-during-the-promotion-of-Hawaizaada-in-Mumbai-on-January-09-2015-Photo-IANS

“Films obviously project the reality in the society that we are living in. But that does not mean it is promoting that idea or advocating that idea. You can’t blame films or the industry for all the rapes happening in this country. It’s a ridiculous argument,” he says. The 30-year-old actor, who will next be seen in an upcoming film based on the life of Shivkar Bapuji Talpade, who is believed to have constructed and flown India’s first unmanned airplane in 1895 — eight years before the Wright brothers, says that people love to talk about item songs featuring women, but they forget that there’s a thing such as 'male item numbers', too.

“My question is, why do we always ask about item numbers featuring women, and not male item numbers? I think John Abraham’s Rum And Whisky in my film (Vicky Donor, 2012) was an item number as well. And there are other such examples, too. We don’t talk about that!” he argues, further stressing that item numbers are important in commercial cinema. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Commercial cinema caters to everyone, and there are people who like item numbers and that’s exactly who commercial cinema caters to.”