From ‘Oo Antava’ to ‘Dabidi Dibidi’, the objectification of women in songs

India Today

Are We Dancing to Misogyny? What if the song you’re humming is actually glorifying objectification?

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00:00What if I told you that a song you're humming right now may be actually glorifying objectification

00:07of women, that a track topping the charts is filled with crude undertones disguised

00:12as entertainment.

00:13Example, the Telugu song Dabidi Dibidi, picturised on Urvashi Rautela from the film Daku Maharaj.

00:19On the surface, they seem like just another peppy dance number, but a closer look reveals

00:23deeply problematic lyrics and choreography that reduces women to mere props.

00:28This story was written for the India Today website by senior sub-editor Anisha Rao.

00:32The phrase Dabidi Dibidi is meant to mimic the sound of a drum beat, but in the song,

00:36it takes on a disturbingly different meaning.

00:38The lyrics suggestively translate to Thump Thump Thump, Raise Your Hand Bala, Slap Me

00:43Right Ponchya.

00:44Similarly, in Hindi, the lyrics read Dabidi Dabidi, you know the lines, Haath Toh Utha

00:48De Bala, Dabidi Dabidi So On, Gaalo Pe Baja Baja.

00:51These words make it clear that the song thrives on crude and objectifying undertones.

00:56The sexual connotation is barely disguised.

00:58What's more disturbing is how effortlessly the song has embedded itself into the public

01:02consciousness, with people unknowingly, perhaps, humming along to lyrics that glorify objectification.

01:07This isn't the first time Tollywood has embraced problematic lyrics.

01:11Other songs have also followed the same template.

01:13Catchy music paired with suggestive dance moves, reinforcing the male gaze, and reducing

01:17women to eye candy.

01:19The Ouu Antaba song from Pushpa Daraes, for instance, was meant to call out male hypocrisy,

01:24but the way it was filmed, along with Samantha Ruth Prabhu's dance moves, made it a classic

01:28example of objectification of women.

01:30The Jigulu Rani song in Rangasthalam, featuring Pooja Hegde, followed the typical pattern

01:34of provocative outfits, sensual dance moves, and camera angles pandering to the male gaze.

01:39In the Swing Zara song in 2017's Jai Lava Kusa, Pamanna Bhatia performed suggestive

01:44dance moves.

01:45This song also primarily focused on the actor's body, rather than her dancing prowess.

01:49In the movie Kaidi No 150, released in 2017, the song Rathalu, featuring Rai Lakshmi, had

01:54all the classic item number elements, revealing costumes, provocative lyrics, and choreography

01:59catering to the male gaze.

02:00Then there was Kebu Kekka in the movie Kapar Singh from 2012.

02:04Malaika Arora's dance moves here, paired with suggestive lyrics, made it one of Tollywood's

02:08more infamous item songs.

02:10In the song Pakka Lokal from Janata Garage in 2016, Kajal Agarwal, a prominent actor,

02:14was reduced to an item girl.

02:16The song relied heavily on glamourization and sexualized moves.

02:20Defenders of such songs argue that they are just for fun, but the reality is that these

02:24portrayals normalize objectification and reinforce gender stereotypes.

02:28The choreography in Dabidi Dibidi is another glaring example.

02:31Urvashi Rautela is subjected to exaggerated moves in revealing outfits, while Bala Krishna

02:36performs minimal steps yet commands the screen.

02:38The backlash against Dabidi Dibidi shows that audiences are becoming more vocal about these

02:43portrayals.

02:44But the real question remains, why do women in item numbers always have to prioritize

02:48their physical appeal over their talent?

02:50Why do we continue to see older male actors paired with much younger women in such sequences?

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