I am going to study ‘Gaana Rewrite’ film as my primary source to show how the song’s lyrics affect our thoughts. ‘Gaana Rewrite’ is a short audio-visual film, posted on YouTube and presented by Akshara Centre, Mumbai. It is a four-minutes and twelve seconds film created by Nandita Shah. It posted on YouTube on 21st March 2017 by Zico Maitra. This short film shot in local places like a park, buses, trains, subway, and an office. In this short film women and men, both are included, women are the main character who perform the rewrite songs. ‘Gaana Rewrite’ film is the winner of the U.S Consulate Mumbai, Women’s Safety and Empowerment Short Film Contest.
This film is a marge of 6 small-small videos. Every video has started by rewrite of some item songs like the First song, ‘ooh la la, chuna na chuna na’, second song, ‘chhamak challo’, third song, ‘kundi matt khadkao raja’, fourth song, ‘tu chij bari hai mast mast’, fifth song, ‘ab karunga tere saath, gandi baat’, sixth and the last song, ‘tu mere agal bagal hai’. Every song ends by telling ‘aisa kyu nhi likhte?’ (Why have songs not written like this?).
I choose the ‘Akshara Centre’ website and ‘Gaana Rewrite Explained’ YouTube video as my secondary source material in order to understand the primary source material better. Akshara Centre is a non-profit organization that works on women empowerment and women safety. This organization presents the Gaana Rewrite video in order to make a safe society for women and stand against every woman’s violence. Bollywood songs are creating violence against women. That’s why they created this film by rewrite Bollywood ‘item’ songs.
‘Gaana Rewrite Explained’ YouTube video is explaining about the motive of the Gaana Rewrite film and what is important for making this film. It helps to understand better this film. In this YouTube video, the creator of Gaana Rewrite, Nandita Shah explained this film. While she was explaining the film, she said, “I was tired of these Bollywood songs that objectify and mock our consent.”
This short film’s motive is to aware people that we are enjoying the dhinkchak, catchy songs and dance on it. But if we give a look at their lyrics of those songs like, “tu chij bari hai mast mast” and “chikni chamelly”. These kinds of songs are objectifying female bodies and sexually harass them. Men are using these songs to tease women. Our society is also affected by these songs. They start selling women as an item to sex works community, illegal factories, etc.
In this short film, locations play a very important role. Because usually women are feeling shame, fear in local places. The people are looking towards women in these local places like the camera’s angle. The camera’s angle performs as people’s eyes. The scene of the bus is very impactful because in these scene men were also included. It’s important to know the men about this film because men are harassing the women in these songs which are mention above and in practical life too.
The Government of India has launched many schemes for women empowerment like, “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” (2015), “Ujjawala Yojana” (2016). On the other hand, Bollywood movies and their songs objectify women. The government does not raise voice against these kinds of songs that I mentioned above. Most people watch movies and listen to songs for entertainment but no one looks over their exact meaning. Bollywood songs on women are one of the reasons for increased violence against women because the Bollywood songs objectify women like, ‘tu chij bari hai mast mast’. These songs are called ‘item’ songs: Women are items in these songs.
I observing a very interesting thing that, Gaana Rewrite film is viewed by six thousand and one viewer, three comments, one hundred twenty-seven likes, and three dislikes. But every item song has more than forty million viewers, one lakh likes, six thousand comments. From this data, we can see which songs people more like to listen to. People like to listen to those songs which are dominating women. In these, all songs are representing patriarchal thought.
In the film of Gaana Rewrite no man perform a sing-song. Many women understand that they are discriminated against, but very few men understand that. If men do not understand that they discriminate against women and not stand for the violence against women. Discrimination will be going on. If we really want safety and equality in gender, so we all together have to raise our voice to stop discrimination, objectify women, create item songs, teasing women, rape and all other kinds of harassment against women. Then women will get equality in India.