MUMBAI: Bollywood lyricists never shy away from taking risks when it comes to including bold or bawdy lyrics to songs. There has been quite a long list when these provocative numbers instigated a rage among the more conservative sections of society.
We picked a bunch of such tracks from Bollywood’s bank that have courted controversy left, right and centre.
Munni Badnaam Hui, Dabangg (2010)
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Singer: Mamta Sharma
Munni badnaam hui, darling tere liye
Munni ke gaal gulaabi, nain sharabi, chaal nawabi re
Main Zandu Balm hui, darling tere liye
This song was a hit despite the controversy it raked up. The lyrics of the song include ‘Zandu Balm’ ; the owner of the pain balm brand naturally saw red. All’s well that ends well and Malaika Arora who featured in the video ended up becoming the brand ambassador of the product.
Chaiyya Chaiyaa, Dil Se (1998)
Singers: Sukhwinder Singh, Sapna Awasthi
Jinke sar ko ishq ki chhaaon
Paaon ke neeche jannat hogi
Shaam raat meri kaaynaat
Vo yaar mera sainya sainya
Chal chaiyya chaiyya chaiyya chaiyya
The sentiments of religious groups were hurt due to the words ‘Paaon Ke Neeche Jannat Hogi’ with , “How can Jannat (Heaven) be under the feet (Paon)?” being the objecting refrain But nothing budged the makers, making the song a chart topper.
Sexy sexy sexy mujhe log bolein (Khuddar, 1993)
Singer: Alisha Chinai
Sexy, sexy, sexy mujhe log bole,
hi sexy, hullo sexy kyun bole?!
Chehra yeh le jaaon kaha
Husn ko chupao kaha
Romeo hazaar aage peeche daude…
Sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy
This song was a bold step taken in 1993 when the word sexy sounded extremely vulgar to puritan ears. So, the lyricists’ efforts of using ‘sexy’ was in complete vain as the censor board of India immediately asked the makers to replace the word ‘sexy’ with ‘baby’, thus taking away half the charm of the track.
Choli ke peechey kya hai, Khalnayak (1993)
Singers: Ila Arun, Alka Yagnik
Choli ke peechhe kya hai, choli ke peechhe
Chunari ke neeche kya hai, chunari ke neeche
At least 42 political parties protested against the song, which stirred a hornet’s nest among the masses, among other things. It was banned and removed from the movie as well as from audio cassettes, the streaming devices of the day.
Dhan Te Nan, Kaminay (2009)
Singers: Sukhwinder Singh, Vishal Dadlani
Hai Dil Dildaara Mera Teli Ka Tel
Kaudi Kaudi Paisa Paisa Paise Ka Khel
Are re re re
The word ‘Teli’ from this song of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminay was beeped out after the Teli Samaj objected to its use.
Tu nangi achchi lagti hai, Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010)
Singer: Kailash Kher
Tu gandi achhi lagati hai, tu bandi achhi lagati hai
Tu kali si kachhi, tu tali si machhi lagati hai
Dibakar Banerjee”s movie ran into trouble with the censors over ‘Tu Nangi Achchi Lagti Hai’ (You look good naked). After much ado, the censors asked Dibakar to change the word ‘nangi’ to ‘gandi’ (bad), losing most of its boldness.
I want fakht u, Joker (2010)
Singer: Sunidhi Chauhan
I want fakht you
I want fakht you
Baby I want fakht you
Fakht in Marathi means only, but when it was said repeatedly in this item song, it sounded like the four letter bad word no one ought to utter. Hence it was toned down to ‘I want just you’ thus nipping all controversy in the bud.
Aaja nachle, Aaja Nachle (2007)
Singer: Sunidhi Chauhan
Mohalhe mein kaisi maara maar hai,
bole mochi bhi khud ko sonar hai
sab ko nacha ke nachle,
aaja nachle nachle mere yaar tu nachle
This movie saw Madhuri Dixit’s comeback but the song caused an outrage as Dalit leaders said that the line ‘Bole Mochi Bhi Khud Ko Sunar Re’ is sheer casteism and infers that cobblers are inferior to goldsmiths. Immediately, the lyrics were changed to ‘Mere Dar Pe Deewano Ki Bahaar Hai’.
