2. The Liberalization and "Item Number" Phenomenon (1990s–2000s)
On the other hand, getting “papped” is a culture that the industry itself helped create. As Meena Iyer wrote in a detailed analysis for Hindustan Times, “getting ‘papped’ is a culture which is as much the industry’s creation as it is social media’s. Whether they are at airports, salons, premieres, parties or even prayer meetings, Bollywood celebrities come alive only when photographers’ lenses are trained on them”.
What was once restricted to late-night tabloids became standard daytime television. The mid-2000s saw the rise of dedicated entertainment news channels that tracked Bollywood celebrities with unprecedented aggression. Wardrobe malfunctions, relationship scandals, and private disputes were broadcast with the same sensationalized framing previously reserved for pulp magazines. From Sensationalism to "Clickbait" Whether they are at airports, salons, premieres, parties
For decades, strict censorship by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) prohibited explicit content, including kissing, on Indian screens. To bypass these restrictions, filmmakers relied heavily on metaphor, suggestive choreography, and highly stylized sequences.
To analyze this intersection, it is necessary to unpack the colloquial and historical terms that define it. What is "Babe Press"? and larger-than-life heroism.
By the late 2000s and early 2010s, item songs had become a near‑essential ingredient of commercial Bollywood films. Songs like “Munni Badnaam Hui” ( Dabangg , 2010) and “Sheila Ki Jawani” ( Tees Maar Khan , 2010) dominated music charts and dance floors, but they also reinforced the idea that a woman’s on‑screen value lies in her desirability. The sequel Dabangg 2 gave us “Fevicol Se,” where a female performer is compared to “tandoori chicken” to be consumed with alcohol—a lyric so casually misogynistic that it still stands as a low point in Bollywood music.
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The industry establishes rigid aesthetic standards (the "babe" archetype) to capture immediate visual attention.
Mainstream Bollywood has always maintained a carefully curated image of romance, family values, and larger-than-life heroism. However, running parallel to this mainstream success was a thriving underground industry commonly referred to as the "Cine-Bombay" or the B-grade and C-grade circuit.