Pop culturisation of art can be a double-edged sword. While its reductionist approach shows little regard for the context and nuances of an art form, it takes the form to a far larger audience than it could have possibly reached on its own. Lavani is a case in point. "Known to many as the sensuous dance that often lends itself to an item number on the silver screen, it is this popularisation that has inspired women who don't hail from traditional dance communities to pursue it as well," says Bhushan Korgaonkar, who wrote the book, Sangeet Bari, in 2014.

Korgaonkar and Savitri Medhatul — the duo made a documentary on this dance form in 2008 — conceptualised the book launch as reading of excerpts from the book interspersed with lavani performances. The success of the format led to the production of Sangeet Bari.