They may be a couple in real life, but on screen Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are about to clash over item numbers in the film “Agent Vinod”. Who does it better?
Many are asking if Kareena’s
mujra song, “Dil mera muft ka”, will be overshadowed by Saif’s “Pyaar
ki pungi”. The latter is described as a number that catches your
attention in the first 20 seconds because of its comic, cheeky notes and
free footsteps.
When asked about the song, Saif told IANS: “There is a sequence in
the film where Agent Vinod is being watched by CCTV cameras…and he is
behaving in a certain way, so we thought we should do an extension to
that and we did the song.”
Composed by Pritam Chakraborty, “Pyaar ki pungi” has been written by
lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya and choreographed by Jasmin Oza. Mika has
sung it.
Since “Agent Vinod”, a sleek spy thriller, is full of actions and
thrills, director Sriram Raghavan didn’t give much attention to the
songs as it can shift people’s interest and the essence of the movie.
So “Pyaar ki pungi” has been especially created and used as a
promotional number. The song plays in the background during one of the
scenes in “Agent Vinod” with a punchline saying, “Catch the other side
of (Majnu) Vinod.”
If you are wondering who taught such funny steps to Saif, it’s none
other than Jasmin Oza, who worked with Saif on an ad for Amul innerwear.
He wanted to make the dance moves the actor’s signature steps.
“It’s a song full of naughty steps, I call it Indian contemporary
tapori steps. This song is full of groovy steps, full dhamaal song with a
high energy. These are the fresh and unique steps which are never done
by Saif. Overall steps and the choreography were taught to Saif, but at
the same time he added his own steps,” Ojha told IANS.
“My job was to make him comfortable and to get him into that
different kind of funny dancing style. When any actor does such steps,
people start thinking about stars like Govinda. To make it exclusive and
Saif’s own style, we put his steps while making the song,” he added.
“Pungi” is a word derived from the snakecharmer’s instrument – known as ‘been’ in Hindi and ‘pungi’ in Marathi.
Usually item numbers are associated with actresses and their
‘jhatkas’ and ‘matkas’. In fact there is a mujra number picturised on
Kareena Kapoor and it was the first one to hit the screens. But “Pungi”
has become more popular.
Lyricist Bhattacharya says the definition of item numbers is changing
and added: “It’s difficult to explain the phrase. Usually any song that
stands out in a movie or a song where a female protagonist performs in a
different manner is called an item number. I feel a song that attracts
viewers’ attention towards a movie and rises on the popularity chart is
called an item number.”
Bhattacharya is the man behind the unconventional lyrics of “Emotional atyachar” in “Dev D”.
” ‘Emotional atyachar’ was a big hit and was an item number for the
movie. It had such power that they ran a campaign over this song which
really helped in the opening of the film.
“So, the song that catches the whole focus of the movie is an item
number. There is not any compulsory rule that an item number should be
performed only by a female protagonist.”
The “pungi” word has caught on with youth.
The song’s popularity has been bogged down by rumours of plagiarism,
but Pritam said: “Melodically and lyrically it’s no way similar to the
song (‘Soosan Khanoom’ by Iranian pop band Barobax) in question, and I’m
not even bringing up the element of creative coincidence which is
largely prevalent in the day and age we exist in.”
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