The hashtag 'Feminist Songs' in which Bolly people are rephrasing original lyrics, with words that are friendlier towards women has created a frenzy on the internet. Lyricists across the country might take offence to this new wave of feminism, but it is nothing short of a celebration for Indian women who have been grudging the sexist tinge in romantic Bollywood songs and item numbers. The trend, which started on a microblogging site last month, picks on songs with misogyny-laden words. Over the last few weeks, feminists on social media have kept the tempo of this movement alive by posting tweets that range from powerful to hilarious. Sample this - Chikni Chameli chhupke akeli pauwa chadha ke aayi, because she's independent enough to do whatever the f*** she wants to...#FeministBollySongs. For the conventional Indian mindset, these tweets maybe blasphemous but some of them sound just so right.

SONGS ARE CROWD-PLEASERS
The Hindi film industry has often come under scrutiny for its objectification of women. Item numbers especially have been blamed for making derogatory remarks and getting away with it because they are, after all, popular. For instance, there were mixed reactions to Munni badnaam hui...which remains a hot favourite on the list of most memorable item numbers.A lyricist, on condition of anonymity, explains, “Item songs are crowd pleasers. Lyrics are written keeping the audience in mind and such things work. What is being viewed as art by feminists is purely commercial for producers. They want the music to work because it gives the film a big impetus and the money that is made from the songs is humongous.“

BLAME THE MALE-DOMINATED PSYCHE
The quintessential chedkhani (teasing) between the hero and the heroine and all the 'uski naa mein hi haan chupi hai' (her consent lies in her refusal) doesn't make sense to the more liberal section of the youth. There is a fast growing emphasis on 'consent', which is sacrosanct, now more than ever before. Women won't take a stalker for a lover anymore. With the shift in power dynamics between genders, power no longer lies with the man. Dev Anand's iconic song Chod do aanchal zamana kya kahega has been tweaked keeping feminist sensibilities in mind and now reads - Chod do aanchal because it is not about zamana but sexual harassment.

Besides item numbers that are immediate targets, even iconic romantic songs have come under attack. Amitabh Bachchan's ever-romantic song Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai found a bitter reply from feminists. A certain tweet goes, “Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai ki jaise tujhko banaya gaya hai, FOR YOU. Not for me or any other man.“

Another popular romantic song from the Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla-starrer Darr, 'Tu haan kar, ya naa kar, tu hai meri Kiran' has found a sharp comeback in 'Tu haan kar, ya naa kar, teri marzi Kiran'. A lot of feminists think some classic romantic lyrics also reflect the society's male-dominated psyche.

ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE
The song that received maximum flak for its lyrics was Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan from the film Roy. The song which goes like this...Shopping kara de, picture dikha de, Chittiyan Kalaiyaan ve. Gulabi chunni diva de,chudi diva de Chittiyan kalaiyaan ve...has been countered with a lot of criticism on social media. A post on Twitter said, “My immediate reply to the guy who says this will be ­ 'Main apni salary se shopping kar sakti hoon and picture bhi dekh sakti hoon. I don't like pink. I don't have white wrists, so get lost!“ When we spoke to lyricist Kumaar, who has penned the original track, he says, “People never talk to me about my songs Tujhe bhula diya (Anjaana Anjaani) or Mere nishaan (OMG Oh My God!). If a film is made on an adult subject, how am I expected to write literature. Everyone has a right to their opinion in this country. I have no grouse against those who feel my songs put women down. But that has never been my intention. When I wrote Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan, I wanted to bring out the fact that a woman feels flattered when she is complimented. She wants her life to be full of love. I feel it is cute. Lyrics are also penned in keeping with the demand of the meter.Songs are a reflection of the society we live in. My words are always based on what I observe. Gandagi nazariye mein hai, meri soch mein nahin, (the vulgarity lies in the perception, not the thought)“ he says.

In this kudiyon ka zamana, this hashtag is making the right noise.

Tell us about Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan from the film Roy.
We are overwhelmed. Kanika Kapoor sang Baby Doll from Ragini MMS 2 for us. She's like our younger sister and has been through a lot in life. Although it marked her debut in Bollywood, we'd been friends with her much longer. Her voice was apt for Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan and we work well together, so she was the obvious choice to sing the song. Lyricist Kumaar is our other longtime lucky collaborator. He did a good job of making a Punjabi party song that is also being played at weddings. Just like Sunny Leone became synonymous after appearing in the video for Baby Doll, Jacqueline Fernandez is getting a new image after she was seen in a refreshing new light in Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan so we're hoping it does for Jacky what Baby Doll did for Sunny. The video has also been shot like a Hollywood musical. Jacky is daydreaming as the song begins and then she joins the dancers for a jig on the street. We make an appearance later on. We have even introduced a bit of trap music in the intro. The rapping portions sung by us are signature Meet Bros Anjjan - light-hearted and merging seamlessly with the rest of the song.

How did Beparwah happen?
The makers had initially planned to make Baby a songless thriller but then producer Bhushan Kumar called us in because he wanted a song that reflects the theme of the film. He has a great ear for music and knows exactly what will click with the audience. We came up with Beparwah as an ode to the attitude of the film's characters. It is quite a departure from the happy-go-lucky numbers we usually compose, although we'd like to believe every song we come up with is different. We gave the song an operatic feel. Newcomer Apeksha Dandekar has sung the song like a diva. She is one singer to watch out for, after Kanika. Her voice has the right amount of sensuality to represent Esha Gupta who has upgraded the song with her appearance in the video. Lyricist Manoj Muntashir managed to convey the various on-goings in our country that the attitude of the film and, like the makers of the film have stated, history is made by those who give a damn.

What have you guys been up to in the past year?
We started off composing jingles at an FM radio station. We have dabbled in everything from singing, rapping, performing live to composing songs in a variety of genres. Over the past year since Baby Doll, we've come out with Hangover (Kick), Pink Lips (Hate Story 2) and Party Toh Banti Hai (Bhootnath Returns).

What was it like working with Salman Khan?
We'd like to think we showed fans a new side of Salman when he sang Hangover from Kick for us. He is so hardworking that he recorded the song three times. It's always great to work with Salman. We'd love to compose for him again in the future.We also enjoyed working with vocalist Mohit Chauhan and Punjabi actress Khusboo Grewal recently.

You have an MBA Swag version on every soundtrack?
Tell us more about it. MBA Swag stands for the Meet Bros Anjjan version of a song we've composed. It is our own unique take on a track. While the main track is composed according to the brief of the makers, this version lets us play with different styles, infuse electronic beats, add some rapping, change the feel and also make it a dance number that people will enjoy. We try to do all this while retaining the melody and words of the original.

What's next?
We've been busier - and happier - than ever this year. In 2015, we plan to release 40 new film compositions, most of them in the first half of the year. Up next are songs from Mastizaade and Ek Paheli Leela. Our non-film album will be out in August. Right now, we are focussing on live shows. We enjoy performing in front of the audience. It gives us immediate feedback. We prefer composing singles rather than the entire original soundtrack of a film since we can focus on our own music and shows. Singles allow us to add our touch to an album.

Roy, featuring Arjun Rampal, Ranbir Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez, is a thriller revolving around four pivotal characters. Ranbir, in the title role, will be seen as a thief who has captured the imagination of many with his smooth heists. While Arjun plays Kabir, a filmmaker, Jacqueline will be seen in a double role - as Tia, an art enthusiast and Ayesha, a director. The T-Series production marks the directorial debut of Vikramjit Singh.

BEHIND THE SCENES
- For a particular sequence, Ranbir had to drive a 1960's model of a luxury car. However, when the actor drove the car inside a tunnel, it caught fire. Fortunately, Ranbir escaped without a scratch. However, the shoot was halted for four hours until the mechanic came and fixed the car.

- Vikramjit had to shoot a scene in the middle of the night in China Town, which is one of the busiest streets of Kuala Lumpur. Besides, the place is said to be dominated by the mafia and drug peddlers. The director decided to adopt guerrilla style of filmmaking, so as to not attract attention towards them. The scene had Arjun walking out of the busy street.

- In an impromptu move, Vikramjit also included the street urchins who were playing guitars, to give it a realistic feel.



- Vikramjit suffers from sea sickness. Obviously , that did not bode well for the unit as they had to shoot a yacht sequence, in the middle of the sea in Malaysia. Initially, the director joined the cast on the yacht, hoping to film the sequence. However, he soon felt uneasy and returned to the port. The scene was finally shot with the help of assistant directors, who would keep taking instructions from him and execute them.

- Apparently, a number of people would show up on the set to get a glimpse of Jacqueline. The director says, “She would sweetly meet all of them in between shots and post wrap-up.“

- The actress turned designer for the thriller. Not only did she wear clothes from her personal wardrobe for Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan, but also designed the jeggings that she sports in Sooraj Dooba Hai.



- For Sooraj Dooba Hai, Vicky wanted the location to be reminiscent of a music festival. When he expressed his desire to producer Bhushan Kumar, he recreated a similar set in Mumbai's Film City in two days.

- Jacqueline's dance number Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan has Kanika Kapoor reuniting with Meet Bros Anjjan after Baby Doll.  Choreographer Ahmed Khan wanted to shoot the song in Penang, but that couldn't be worked out. So the team recreated a set that resembled a Malaysian street, in Mumbai.

- Arjun has sported glasses and hats from his personal collection to give a personal touch to his character Kabir.

- Since Jacqueline loves horse riding, she was ecstatic to know that she has horse-riding sequences in the film. The unit was surprised to see her handling horses with ease.

- Vikramjit wore the same white kurta throughout the shoot, believing that it was lucky for him. Of course, everyone on set used to tease him about it.

- Composer Amaal Mallik approached many producers with the tune of Sooraj Dooba Hai, but was turned down by all of them. When Amaal made Bhushan hear the tune, he immediately decided to incorporate it in the album. Sung by Arijit Singh and Aditi Singh Sharma, the song has been written by Kumaar.

- Ankit Tiwari, who last worked with the producer in Aashiqui 2, has composed three songs in the film -Yaara Re, Tu Hai Ki Nahi and Boond Boond.



PRODUCER'S NOTE - BHUSHAN KUMAR
“The film's music is doing really well. When Vicky came to me with the script, I was in two minds initially, but his confidence and conviction encouraged me to come on board. Finally, when I saw the rushes of the film, I was happy with my decision. Arjun and Jacqueline have done a very good job, and Ranbir will be a surprise package in his intense role.“

DIRECTOR'S TAKE - VIKRAMJIT SINGH
“Making Roy has been an incredible journey -r ight from its inception, the script, the filming to the post-production and marketing. Filmmaking is not a one-man job, it's all about collaboration. It's a vision that the 200-odd-member crew worked tirelessly to achieve. Now that the movie is ready, I feel deep gratitude and a sense of responsibility towards each person who has worked so hard on creating it.“

Roy, produced by Bhushan Kumar, Divya Khosla Kumar and Krishan Kumar, releases February 13.