Among the actresses who can be termed as the ‘profession’ item girls includes Rakhi Sawant, the sex bomb, who literally bombarded Bollywood with her raunchy item song Mohabbat Hai Mirchi… (Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne – 2003) and got stereotyped as the hot item girl. Her hit item songs that became hit are Kismat Se Chalti HHai… (Malamaal Weekly) and Dekhta Hai Tu Kya… ((Krazzy 4). Rakhi’s fee for her item songs ranged from 10 to 12 lakh.
Multi-Crore and Cabarets: The High-Paying Item Girls of Bollywood
However, the actress who elevated the item girl’s remuneration into crores is unarguably the hot and spicy Mallika Sherawat. In 2017, she charged Rs 1.5 crores for the item song “Mehbooba Mehbooba”. Later, her rate increased, with reports suggesting she charged Rs 3 crore for “Jalebi Bai” in Double Dhamaal (2011).
After Mallika Sherawat, the next most popular item girl in Multi-Crore Bollywood is Malaika Arora. She is also regarded as the queen of item songs. For her super-duper hit item song Munni Badnaam Hui… ((Dabangg – 2010), she charged a massive Rs 2 crore, and the producers happily paid! Interestingly after After Munni Badnaam Hui’s smash success, Malaika hiked her price to Rs 2.75 crores for “Anarkali Disco Chali” in Housefull 2 (2012).
The Item Girl Empire: Who’s Making Millions in Bollywood
Sunny Leone, a former adult film starlet turned item girl, stunned Indian audiences with her sizzling song “Baby Doll” in Ragini MMS 2. The song’s huge success made her a Bollywood sensation, for which she reportedly charged Rs 25 lakh. Later, she earned Rs 3 crore for her item song “Laila Mein Laila”, a remix of Zeenat Aman’s classic hit from Qurbani.
In the early 2000s, filmmakers started importing foreign girls to star in item songs. One such girl was Jacqueline Fernandez, a Sri Lankan beauty who rose to fame with “Aapka Kya Hoga” in Housefull (2010). The song was declared the Best Item Song of the Year. Jacqueline’s popularity soared, and she charged Rs 2 crores for her item song “Ek-Do-Teen” in Baaghi 2.
Yana Gupta, a foreign-born model and actress, stormed Bollywood with her seductive item song “Babuji Zara Dheere Chalo” in Dum (2003). She later appeared in hot remixes, like “Laila O Laila” in Chalo Dilli (2011). Yana was also a brand ambassador for Lakme, a leading Indian cosmetic brand. However, as Bollywood actresses started dominating item songs, she took a back seat.
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