Shake that biscuit, boyz: Meet Bollywood's new 'item boys'

Munna badnaam hua darrrrling tere liye. Move over item girls, the guys are storming the bastion with item numbers Move over, ladies. The item boys are here. Randeep Hooda who plays a dangerous sex machine in his latest release, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster (SBG) uses his sexuality with the power of a gun. After seeing his libidinous act, Shobhaa De wrote on a micro-blogging site, "Finally figured out what Sush(mita) saw in Randeep Hooda. He's hotter than all the Khans."  Randeep's lust-quotient for the ladies will now be harnessed into an item song for a film that he's doing. Hooda has no inhibitions about an item song. "Of course, I love the thought of being an object of desire in a slow romantic item song for women. Wouldn't you love it too? Every man wants to desired by the opposite sex. And why just ladies? I don't mind being admired by men too. An item song sounds like fun. I love to dance. And to dance when you know thousands are watching in a darkened theatre, man, that's quite a high!" Striptease In the forthcoming comedy, Desi Boyz, Akshay Kumar and John Abraham perform a striptease pole dance. So, are item girls passe? If things continue like the way they are going, the Munnis and Sheilas would be a thing of the past. Move over, girls. The item boys are here. It started with Abhishek Bachchan who surrounded himself with a bevy of beauties and sang 'One love' for Mahesh Manjrekar's film Rakt in what was the first certified item song by a male star in Bollywood. Abhishek performed the hip-hop steps sitting down on the steps for the very simple reason that his back was hurting. Abhishek set a trend. Male stars thereafter would sit surrounded by a bevy of women to belt out a hip-hop number. Boy-centric item songs have become the order of the day. In Soham Shah's Kaal, Shah Rukh Khan took off his shirt and joined Malaika Arora for a water-drenched romp.  Now almost every male star wants to do an item song. Even a cerebral actor like Manoj Bajpai says he would love to do an item number. "Anytime! I don't need to think too much about what I'm doing or how correct my movements are. I'll just go with the flow and have a good time dancing. It's important that I enjoy the item. Only then can the audience enjoy it." Hoove's the stud? Randeep Hooda with a horse Sizzle Adds Neil Nitin Mukesh, "I'd love to do an item song. But only on condition that the rest of the frame be filled with sizzling, gorgeous women. Then I would feel lucky. I even have my song ready. Nathni uthaailay, a la Bidi jalaile." Neil can fantasize as much as likes. He even has the title of his song worked out. The fact is, item boys are here to stay and to shake their butt for the audience. Sonu Sood, who did an item number Munni Badnaam with Salman and Malaika Arora in Dabangg feels soon there will be a whole crop of item numbers. "It feels good to be desired. And what better means to get up close and personal with the audience than an item song? In fact I am at this very minute doing an item song with Mallika Sherawat."  Rana Daggubati who was part Rohan Sippy's Dum Maro Dum in which Deepika Padukone performed an item song, is all for doing an item song. "If it is interesting enough I'd love to, though it has to be part of the narration." Raj Babbar's elder son Aarya Babbar finds it funny for male stars to be called 'item boys'. "But then I guess to be called an item you have to be quite hot. So if I'm asked to do an item number I'd feel honoured." Metrosexual Zayed Khan is vehemently opposed to doing an item. "Noooooo!!! That's strictly a girl thing!! And I'd appreciate it if we left the item numbers to the ladies. And I say this with all due respect to the metrosexual ideology." Model-turned-actor Kushal Punjabi has no problems being perceived as an item boy, if the number is classily choreographed.  "Didn't Shah Rukh Khan perform an item number with Aishwarya Rai in Shakti? I'd love to shake my booty for an item song. I love dancing and I think I've a good body. But I won't strip all the way. I feel keeping some things a secret, always adds to the interest-level." While the girls look on: Akshay Kumar and Chitrangada Singh in Desi Boyz Fun Parvin Dabas who has quite a fan following amongst ladies and the gay community is game for an item number. "Why not? I'd love to do an item number. It'd be great fun. Though I think the girls would always be the leaders in item numbers and we guys would never be able to replace them. But I feel girls have come out of the purdah of inhibitions. They are openly appreciative of guys nowadays, specially those who can dance well. But as far as aesthetics go girls look a lot nicer doing item songs." Akshay and John Abraham in Desi Boyz Mithun Aamir Khan got into a retro Mithun Chakraborty mode for an item song his own production, Delhi Belly. Aamir has gone on record to say that he turned item boy after every item girl in tinsel town turned him down!  Ranbir Kapoor too made a flash appearance in a kiddies' cavort for Chillar Party. Interestingly, Aamir's item song made no impact, as he was incognito in his Mithun get-up. Ranbir's song was relegated to the end-titles of Chillar Party.  By the time he came on the audience had left. So, are item boys here to stay?  Says filmmaker Rohit Jugraj, "It's a question of demand and supply. Women are no longer embarrassed to express their admiration for a male beauty. And the female gaze no longer turns away shyly when a man sees it. So yes, item boys are here to stay." Courtesy: Mid-Day.com