Bollywood // Current

Naked Body Scanner Image of Film Star 'Printed, Circulated by Airport Staff'

Authorities’ claim that virtual strip search pictures immediately destroyed... more

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Exposed!!! Bollywood Heart-Throb Makes Mockery of Australia-Bound Nude Airport Scanners…

Exposed … Shahrukh Khan says he signed his X-ray scan, just like this image... more

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Hot News Shiv Sena attacks Shahrukh Khan's house: Bollywood

Shiv Sena’s protest against Shahrukh Khan for his support to the Pakistani... more

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Katrina Kaif GQ Magazine Photoshoot : Indian Celebrities (Female)

With titles like “The most Googled actress in India” and “The most... more

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11/14: Bollywood Multimedia Scavenger Hunt in San Francisco

When you think Bollywood, do you think: choreographed pelvic thrusts, PG-rated love... more

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Booking of ‘My Name Is Khan’ stopped at Mumbai Theaters

Mumbai: In a significant development, the theatre owners in Mumbai have stopped the... more

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Movie My Name Is Khan distributors undeterred by 3 Idiots success

New Delhi, Jan 22 (IANS) The unprecedented success of Aamir Khan starrer “3... more

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Bollywood Actresses Without Makeup - Looks Ugly

Ever wonder what hides behind the mask of heavily caked base, blush, shadow and liner?... more

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Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan Childhood Pictures

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India's Women Find Empowerment in Exotic Dance

Fascinating piece on the contradictory role striptease-inspired Bollywood dancing plays in the lives of Indian women.

Women's International Perspective has done it again!
http://thewip.net/contributors/2010/01/indias_women_find_empowerment.html

Anyone who has ever sat through the frequent and painstakingly choreographed musical numbers in a Bollywood film can tell you that dance is an integral part of Indian culture. From Bhangra in the Punjab province to Kathakali in Kerala, each part of the country has its own distinctive combination of body movement, facial expressions, and hand positions which form the regional style. But nowadays in urban India, dance is not simply used as a form of cultural expression. Women of means are being seduced by a type of dance that is a little more, shall we say, exotic.

Lessons for striptease, burlesque, lap dancing, and pole dancing are the newest class offerings at local fitness centers and dance studios in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore. Housewives, college students, magazine editors, and professional businesswomen have found a common way to explore their dormant sexuality and burn calories by swaying away the stress of living in a demanding modern society. These women juggle the same roles as their Western counterparts—wife, mother, professional—and the contemporary affluent Indian woman finds a space of her own to relax, have fun, and get in touch with her inner diva while taking lessons in exotic dance.

When asked about the appeal of these erotic moves, Sneha Krishnan, editor and co-founder of the feminist webzine Sa, says, “I think one big reason is Bollywood. Sexy dances have become, increasingly, the symbols of liberation in Bollywood cinema, and as always, Indian women are following.” The bikini is the newest fashion sensation appearing in Hindi cinema, and if you pair exposed flesh with certain sensual choreography, you can see the “adult” appeal.

The influence and increasing prevalence of American pop culture also plays a part. Every Café Coffee Day, the Indian version of Starbucks, plays a constant rotation of MTV videos that glamorize the openly sexed up moves of pop starlets like Britney Spears, Katy Perry and the Pussycat Dolls. The Dolls themselves were a burlesque troupe before entering the mainstream, and their music is used in the classes to inspire the student’s inner vixen to come forth and be a “hot freak” like the quintet. Fulfilling the simultaneous desires to craft thin yet curvaceous bodies and claim a sex appeal of their own, exotic dance classes help women shed pounds and inhibitions, see their bodies as beautiful, and demand a right to their own sexuality.

“These classes have become popular with young Indians in particular because they are seeking out innovative ways to stay in shape, and they give them a confidence that comes with doing something different and unique,” says journalism student Hamsini Ravi.

Aparnaa Venkatesh agrees, “A lot of women attend these classes because they want to express their sense of freedom and identity, or perhaps because of the thrill factor of doing something that doesn’t toe the line of conventionality.” This brand of freedom, however, still has some constraints.

One may find personal empowerment while gyrating around a pole, but that doesn’t mean the behavior is socially sanctioned. Most women who attend these classes aren’t ready to admit to their families how their afternoon trip to the gym is spent. Indeed, it was a challenge to find women willing to speak to me for this article. Instead of being completely forthcoming with more conservative family members and friends, many women tell their loved ones they are simply going to work out. However, some students attempt to convince their friends to join them, and the ones who are more daring bring what they’ve learned in the classes into their intimate relationships.

“For some women, showing boyfriends and husbands new moves would definitely be a motive,” saFascinating piece on the contradictory role striptease-inspired Bollywood dancing... more

LilyBixler
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Bollywood: Star Screen Awards 2010 Watch Online Part 1 to 21

Star Screen Awards 2010 Watch Online

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Aamir Khan's Next New Movie "Peepli Live"

The next Aamir Khan film ‘Peepli Live’ starring Raghuvir Yadav, is for... more

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24 days ago
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King of Bollywood Detained for Two Hours at Newark Airport

Seriously? The TSA is a joke.

Betico
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6 months ago
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America's loss may be India's gain during this economic crisis

The economic crisis that has sent the U.S. economy into its worst recession in... more

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11 months ago
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Shilpa Shetty’s Wedding Reception Photos

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and business man Raj Kundra finally tied the knot in a... more

c7girl
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3 months ago
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8 x 10 Tasveer Movie Review: Akshay Kumar

“No need to look into this Tasveer”

Danboy84
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10 months ago
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Bollywood film 3 Idiots breaks records

Both nationally in India and globally the Bollywood Comedy 3 idiots has broken box... more

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27 days ago
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Bollywood Salman Khan Wallpapers, Pictures, Biography and Photo Gallery

Salman Khan made his acting debut in the 1988 film Biwi Ho To Aisi where he played a... more

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I Cant Think Straight Interview with Shamim Sarif & Leonie Casanova

Leonie Casanova for I Can't Think Straight The World Unseen and I Can't... more

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6 months ago
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Watch Toh Baat Pakki Online Bollywood Movie Free Video Trailer Review Cast

Toh Baat Pakki movie Plot :‘Toh Baat Pakki’ is a comeback film of Tabu who... more

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tagged w/ Bollywood

Naked Body Scanner Image of Film Star 'Printed, Circulated by Airport Staff'

Exposed!!! Bollywood Heart-Throb Makes Mockery of Australia-Bound Nude Airport Scanners…

Hot News Shiv Sena attacks Shahrukh Khan's house: Bollywood

Katrina Kaif GQ Magazine Photoshoot : Indian Celebrities (Female)

11/14: Bollywood Multimedia Scavenger Hunt in San Francisco

Booking of ‘My Name Is Khan’ stopped at Mumbai Theaters

Movie My Name Is Khan distributors undeterred by 3 Idiots success

Bollywood Actresses Without Makeup - Looks Ugly

Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan Childhood Pictures

India's Women Find Empowerment in Exotic Dance

Bollywood: Star Screen Awards 2010 Watch Online Part 1 to 21

Aamir Khan's Next New Movie "Peepli Live"

King of Bollywood Detained for Two Hours at Newark Airport

America's loss may be India's gain during this economic crisis

Shilpa Shetty’s Wedding Reception Photos

8 x 10 Tasveer Movie Review: Akshay Kumar

Bollywood film 3 Idiots breaks records

Bollywood Salman Khan Wallpapers, Pictures, Biography and Photo Gallery

I Cant Think Straight Interview with Shamim Sarif & Leonie Casanova

Watch Toh Baat Pakki Online Bollywood Movie Free Video Trailer Review Cast

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