PIX: The HOTTEST Item Songs Of 2012

With less than a fortnight to go for the new year, we kick off our year-end special series with the most happening item numbers of 2012!

Item songs are like 'Today's Special' on the ever vibrant Bollywood menu. 

Every few weeks, we witness a groovy new song and dance number hit the screens and produce a viral effect on the entertainment-hungry audience and (sometimes) assure a good opening at the box-office. 

And so, whether it's one of the top stars in showbiz or a random starlet, item songs are yearned on everybody's resume. On that note, here are some of the notable item songs of 2012.

Go on; hit the message board with your pick of the lot. 

Chikni Chameli, Agneepath

Just HOW hot is this Chameli?

Let's see: ever since this catchy reworking of Marathi chartbuster Kombdi palali (Jatra) by Ajay-Atul went on air in the last leg of 2011, Katrina Kaif's scorching moves and generous display of skin has sent the wolf-whistling public in frenzy and paved the way for obvious clones like Kaafirana and Halkat jawani.

From Chaiyya (Dil Se..) to Munni Badnam (Dabangg), few can reinvent the art of seduction like Malaika Arora Khan does.

The lissome beauty struts her stuff (and channels Aishwarya Rai's Kajra Re aura) in a nightclub-meets-mujra setup to bring down the House, er, Housefull 2 in the item ditty Anarkali Disco Chali.

There's nothing remotely sophisticated about one of 2012's biggest hits starring Akshay Kumar.

Keeping that brief in mind, Spice Girls Mumaith Khan, Maryam Zakaria and Shakti Mohan leave no body part unturned to match the gaudy tunes and over-the-top tone of Rowdy Rathore and its raunchy number, Aa re pritam pyaare.

After shaking her toned butt to Chammak Challo last year in a red-hot avatar for Ra.One, Kareena Kapoor hits another level of brazen in her ritzy wardrobe and unabashed thumkas in and as Heroine.

Too bad all her extreme efforts fail to lift this much-hyped film above the ordinary.

Earlier this year, the newly turned Mrs Saif Ali Khan teamed up with an equally lithe Iranian-Swedish import Maryam Zakaria to perform an high-octane mujra, Dil mera muft ka in the actor's ambitious spy flick.

Equally memorable is Mallika Haydon's turn as the bright red-lipped, leather bodysuit adorning dancing diva in Pritam's Steal the night (I'll do the talkign tonight) considering she 'learnt the dance steps in just two-and-a-half days.'

In Bollywood, neither a sci-fi movie about aliens nor an actress who started out playing meaningful roles in serious films can resist the lure of an item song. 

That explains Chitrangada Singh's smokin' hot tribute to Madhuri Dixit's Humko aajkal hai (Sailaab) in Shirish Kunder's Joker.
The song attracted some controversy with its suggestive lyrics -- I want fakht you, later changed to I want just you.

Neither Ajay Devgn nor Abhishek Bachchan belong to Bollywood's best dancer club.

And so it's largely left to Big B to save the grandiose title song of Rohit Shetty's Golmaal remake with his undisputed charisma and infectious enthusiasm. 

And only because Senior Bachchan seems to be having such a blast, it's easy to forgive those hideous sherwanis.

With a string of author-backed roles (Paa, Ishqiya, The Dirty Picture and Kahani) to her credit, Vidya Balan isn't exactly our idea of an item girl. 

But the soon-to-wed powerhouse does her best performing a classic lavni in a blazing red navari sari against the hit composition, Mala jau de for the production house (Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films) that gave her first big break, Parineeta.

Brazilian model Nathalia Kaur gets bold and bawdy with her take on dirty dancing for Ram Gopal Varma's unanimously panned, Department. 

While the cop drama was mostly trashed for Varma's obsession with uneasy camera angles, the 22-year-old hottie only benefits from the eyeballs she went on to grab with Dan dan cheeni.

And while on aggressive dancing, can Sameera Reddy be far behind?

Even though Prakash Jha's Chakravyuh touts itself as a serious film dealing with Naxalite infiltration, it takes a break from all the realism to squeeze in Sexy Sameera and her in-your-face sexuality with Kunda khol.

With its bizarre humor and strange acting, Aiyyaa failed to strike a favourable note with critics or audience. 

But one has to give Rani Mukerji full credit for spoofing the raunchy tradition and buxom babes down South with much gusto in the undeniably fun, Dreamum wakepum.

Considering Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt's hopeless reputation at getting jiggy, it's only fair they rope in the ever-with-it Salman Khan who does little more than gargle in the deliberately absurd Po po.

And if the business it made despite releasing on the same day as Shah Rukh Khan's Jab Tak Hai Jaan is any indication, the ploy worked like a char.

Going by the promos, Dabangg's sequel is going for the safe 'tried and tested' and, in the process, appearing as an exact replica of the original. 

And that means Malaika Arora Khan's infamous Munni will sing paeans of a certain Chulbul Pandey while Kareena Kapoor, this year's most prolific Item Queen, will toss Zandu balm in favour of sticky Fevicol.