The award-winning Indian film "Lipstick Under My Burkha" that was banned from cinemas for being too evocative and women-oriented was finally released Friday. The film has been hailed as a victory for women in India.
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The Hindi-language film was banned from India's Central Board of Film Certification, CBFC, for being "lady oriented" and containing "contentious sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch about one particular section of society."
The film's woman director, Alankrita Shrivastava, had appealed to the appellate authority and was told to make some cuts. After making a few cuts, the film was finally given a go-ahead in April and accorded an adult certification (suitable for those over 18 years of age).
#Lipstickundermyburkha is a breath of fresh air. Cannot think of any movie which talks about women's sexuality & desires so unapologetically
— Anushree Jairath (@AnushreeJairath) July 22, 2017
"I often get criticized for my work for flushing out male characters. Storytelling has been completely male dominated. Storytelling has been controlled by men," Shrivastava said at the event "Influence of Films on Gender Norms."
"So, the cinema that we have been watching for over the decades, we have seen from the male point of view mainly. My stories are poor from male point of view. In both my films, the men are there as and when the women experience them. Men really don't have stories of their own," Shrivastava added.
The film is based on the secret lives of four women trying to assert their personal and sexual rights in a largely patriarchal world. The powerful female characters have a mind of their own and their experiences enrich their lives — not deduce them to the myopic ways the world wants to see them.
The diverse and powerful characters portrayed are a burqa (veil) clad 18-year-old college girl, a young beautician, a mother of three and a 55-year-old widow on a path to rediscovering her sex life following her husband's death.
"I'm very excited to see how people in India engage with the film," Alankrita Shrivastava said in an interview to a local newspaper. At a deeper level, I feel a sense of victory, not just for myself but for the whole idea of women in India being able to express themselves and tell their stories from their point of view."
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The film has won the Oxfam award for best film on gender equality at the Mumbai film festival, an audience choice award at the Glasgow film festival, the spirit of Asia prize at the Tokyo International film festival. The film has grossed nearly US$1892647 over the weekend.
For Shrivastava, the film symbolizes a wider acceptance for women’s expression and freedom in India.
#LipstickUnderMyBurkha. So so so happy to see such an amazing film. Fearless, relevant, eye opening, liberating. Girl power all the way ❤️
— Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) July 19, 2017