Hyderabad, Aug 28: IF THE Chhaiya chhaiya number had the aam janta swaying all over, Babuji zara dheere chalo had teen hearts go bop. Sure, the quicksilver tongue queens of the telly are burning up the big screen. It is take two for the VJs who are blazing the Bollywood sky with their item grind. Malaika Arora, Sophiya Haque, Shenaz Treasurywala, Amrita Arora, Sophiya, Yana Gupta and Anusha Dandekar. Hot, sexy, svelte, saucy, bubbly, vivacious and sizzling item girls, they are. Anusha's Loot gaye re in `Mumbai Matinee' is already creating waves. "VJs doing item numbers is funky. I like their steps," says Prateek Mishra, an Intermediate student. Is it just a dance sequence? Is it the economics of gyrations? "I think the item numbers give VJs instant popularity and overnight stardom," says Sandeep Reddy, a software pro. On Amrita doing Dilli ki sardi in `Zameen,' Ashwin Kumar, a movie buff, articulates: "Doing an item song is no harm. It will help project her sex appeal better." Manoj Agarwal, a techie, seconds: "For item songs they do not need acting fundas. Just thumping beats, thrusting heaves, that's all!" Though the item songs may not fetch meaty roles (unless one talks of the meat the VJs display in the numbers!), they hog the limelight right under the nose of heroines, avows S. Nalini, an upcoming model. There is no doubt about the VJ brat pack's ability to shake a leg or two to the raucous numbers and make the junta mighty pleased, asserts Vinay Ranjit, a degree student. Maria Goretti, ex-VJ of MTV, was famous for her hip-thrust number, Jai Jai Shiv Shankar.

Is it because of huge amounts they are paid to perform? Why not, the VJs gyrate for four minutes and make a cool Rs. 2-3 lakhs, maintains R. Kiran, ICICI Bank manager. Is the item grind an act of desperation? "Veejays think if they click on TV, they can set the big screen on fire. It's just not a switch of medium. Look at Shenaz. She was devoid of emotions and came out like a stone doll in `Ishq Vishk'," comments Reshma Seth, a hairstylist. "Yana's (she has appeared in Indipop singer, Shail's video) Babuji number in `Dum' was vulgar and I didn't like it a wee bit," complains P. Sudhakar Reddy, a office manager. Sophiya Haque's (she did item songs in `Khubsoorat' and `Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega') September masam in `Sakhi' is known more for her body show, he says. The current MTV Loveline VJ, Sophiya, and B4U veejay, Ishita Arun, too, tested the number waters.

Not every telly belle can become a Bollywood bomb. "Despite Chhaiya chhaiya... being a blockbuster, Malaika couldn't make it to the top in Bollywood," says Avinash Kumar, a PR executive. But he goes ballistic over her Maahiya number in `Kaante.' The MTV VJ was featured in the hip-shaking Gur nalon ishq mitha and Shubha Mudgal's Dholna re too.

Like or dislike, VJs' item songs are the toast of the nation. They make a hell of a splash. "It is their undiluted enthusiasm which spills over to the silver screen and captivates the filmgoer," affirms Manjula Krishnan, a dancer.