If the song Sexy Sexy Sexy Mujhe Log Bole picturised on Karisma Kapoor would have released today instead of the 90’s, no one would have batted an eyelid. But while the Indian audience has learnt to take innuendos like Choli ke peeche kya hai along with the jhatkas and latkas of Munnis and Sheilas as signs of changing times, it has definitely drawn the line at Deepika Padukone’s Dum Maro Dum (from the film of the same name).
“What were the makers thinking when they chose such crude lyrics for the song?” asks a lyricist on condition of anonymity, “It is fine to be cheesy at times but if you tell me that lyrics like ‘Aaj mere liye chair kheech raha hai, kal meri skirt kheechega’ is trendy then sorry, I guess I am at the wrong place.” Not just Jaideep Sahni’s lyrics, even Deepika’s moves and the strategic points of her anatomy that the camera zooms in on have come under flak. The song is being touted as an all out adults-only track. Dum Maro Dum, in its own way, thus has leapfrogged the four decade gap between its predecessor that featured Zeenat Aman. “You can be progressive but if you come up with lyrics like ‘Potty pe baithe nanga’ then the audience is bound to cringe,” says a trade observer, “Rest assured, the family audience is totally going to shun this track. Let’s see how the youth responds to this though.”
Guess Dev Anand would be having the final laugh. After all he was totally against the cult track being presented all over again in its new avatar. Dum Maro Dum could well turn out to be the most controversial song of the season.