What makes you like a song? Music composition? Lyrics? Singer? Or, in case of Indian flicks, perhaps the actors dancing to its tune. And what makes you dislike it? Again, it could be one of the reasons listed above.
I heard this song ‘Sheila ki Jawani’, and somehow it always leaves a bad taste behind. I haven’t even managed to hear it beyond its first line. Are you wondering why? It’s not like I’m against item songs. I do remember the yester years’ “Mera blah blah bhi sexy” songs as well as modern “bidi jalai le”. They are fine. Definitely.
But what irks me about “Sheila ki Jawani” is the use of name “Sheila”. I would have equally disliked it, had the name been “Sita, Gita, Pushpa, Megha or Neha”. Wasn’t the lyrics writer aware that it’s a common Indian name? Or was this the very reason why the name was used? In our country where eve teasing is quite rampant, it’s going to be menacing for women with the same name. There are girls, young and teens, going to schools…. grown up girls going to college. And I’m sure this song provides a new way to tease ‘Sheilas’ and not in a nice way.
I don’t buy the excuse that we can’t protect our girls all the time, and that they should grow up and learn to protect themselves. There are many ‘shoulds’ that don’t happen in our country. If such songs, give those unpardonable eve-teasers yet another tool to tease the vulnerable young ladies, I dislike the song strongly.
I know the song is going quiet popular, and in a “who cares” society many people won’t agree to this and pooh-pooh my thoughts as too serious. But then, this is my opinion. And it is very much out there.