I do get your point about a progressive shift happening within the item songs but I still feel like there is a long way to go to overcome the way these item songs have been written and shot. I am sure that you can give me a few examples of items songs in recent times which reflect the shift but the majority still perpetuates problematic stereotypes

I completely agree with your point. At surface level almost all item songs undermine the autonomy of women. It is very important for the lyricists of these songs to take into consideration the fact that such songs are promoting very problematic beliefs and such songs can be phrased in a way which reflects respect for women in general

I feel like if women are getting empowered by getting objectified at the hands of men then there is something inherently wrong with the empowerment we are talking about. I would love for women to be empowered but item songs that continue to objectify women are in no way empowering according to me

I feel like this depends on what movie are we talking about. For certain movies, I agree with your point where women are just there because they want to add a love interest or a female face in the movie. However, for some movies which are women centric, even though these are few in number, women do get to play the central role in them.

I feel like for women to portray themselves as being assertive it isn’t necessary to satisfy the male gaze. There are other ways in which women can potentially be in full control over their bodies and for it to happen objectifying them shouldn’t be a necessary condition.

I feel like there is a particular group of people for whom the priorities have shifted and they don’t consume such dramas anymore, but considering the vast population of India, there is still a considerable number of people who watch such dramas and continue to get influenced by it for it to be a problem

I completely agree with your point that what people are looking for in dramas has changed over the years. A lot of viewers have moved away from such dramas to more progressive ones but the thing is the regressive ones still have a very large fanbase, and my main concern is that why are people still willing to watch those dramas

I feel like its important for them to focus on stories with takeaways, something which inspires the viewers and get a message across. Most indian dramas focus on the same family drama for years without any change in the storyline as per se

I feel like its the audience that continues to consume dramas like these. The only reason why makers are still able to make content like this and get away with it is because they are still making money out of it and are getting viewership

I feel like the glorification of toxic behaviors is a lot similar in both of them but Indian dramas are way worse than Pakistani dramas. The storylines are so absurd and not close to reality at all, at least Pakistani dramas follow a proper storyline which makes sense

I agree with the importance of intertextuality but copying something completely is different. You can draw inspiration from particular scenes or storylines but you can’t replicate the entire story line in your movie and call it your own

I completely agree with this. Even if a filmmaker is drawing inspiration from a particular movie, they need to add some originality to it for it to be able to stand out on its own

I get what you are saying but I fee like media has too much potential, there is no point in retelling the same storylines without adding any new perspective to it. I get that some of these remakes do great but then again aren’t we reducing media to profit maximising goals

I completely agree with what you are saying. It is very important to make the right distinction between if you are getting your inspiration from a particular aspect of the storyline or if you are blatantly copying it. If a filmmaker is simply copying somebody else’s work, what is even the point of the media creation.

I feel like this is a great example of what I was trying to say in my blog. I feel like its very important to understand the significance of intellectual property and respecting it and even if somebody is getting their inspiration from another art piece they need to give credit for it.

I feel like the main reason for this is that most of the filmmakers aren’t willing to take the risks that come with creating new storylines. Getting your inspiration from something which is already a hit is an easy way out for them

I believe that this movie did no good at all. If anything a toxic relationship was romanticised and a sexist male lead was glamorised. I might’ve agreed with the point of view that it shows how we have still made way for men like kabir singh to exist in the society, but honestly when Preeti decides to go back to him at the end of the movie even after everything he did to her, this clearly showed how men get a free pass no matter what they do and hence, this movie ended up being more of an encouragement for men than a lesson.

I believe that the change in name was primarily to deal with all the criticism that the company was facing because of its problematic take on darker skin tones. Honestly nothing substantial has changed, it’s still a fairness cream being used in the same way it was once used by people and still promoting colorism.