Lipstick Under My Burkha! India Has To Make Way For Women-Oriented Films
It's sad to see that a women-oriented film, Lipstick Under My Burkha has not been certified by the CBFC & director Alankrita Shrivastava has lashed out against the move.
It's
International
Women's
Day
today
and
it's
sad
to
see
a
film
which
focuses
on
women's
issues,
'Lipstick
Under
My
Burkha'
has
been
left
high
and
dry
by
the
Censor
Board.
The
board
has
not
certified
it
and
when
questioned
about
the
move,
it
went
ahead
and
blatantly
called
it
"lady
oriented" and
justified
its
stance
against
the
film.
The
director,
Alankrita
Shrivastava
opened
up
about
her
disgust
on
CBFC's
move
and
said,
"A
situation
where
the
female
point
of
view
is
throttled
really
means
that
we
are
saying
it
is
best
if
women
shut
up.
Women
cannot
forever
be
represented
through
prisms
created
by
the
dominant
narrative
of
the
male
gaze."
She
further
commented,
"If
women
having
agency
over
their
own
bodies
and
desires
and
dreams
make
people
uncomfortable,
too
bad!
We
are
living,
breathing,
real
people.
Not
just
created
to
fit
into
the
stereotypes
created
by
the
male-dominant
paradigm
of
popular
culture.
It
is
quite
a
paradox.
Considering
the
situation
of
women
in
India,
with
dowry,
violence
against
women,
female
foeticide,
sexual
harassment
on
the
streets,
it
is
crucial
for
women's
voices
and
stories,
their
experiences
and
perspectives
to
be
given
space
in
popular
culture."
The
Central
Board
of
Film
Certification
refused
a
certificate
to
the
movie,
saying
that
it
explores
women's
"fantasy
about
life".
An
angry
and
upset
Alankrita
opened
up
against
the
move
by
saying,
"Why
can't
there
be
space
for
all
kinds
of
representations
of
women
in
popular
culture?
We
have
a
right
to
create
and
engage
with
stories
told
from
the
alternative,
female
point
of
view.
We
have
a
right
to
represent
ourselves
through
all
forms
of
culture.
No
democracy
that
promises
equal
rights
to
men
and
women
can
throttle
that
right.
And
maybe
the
time
has
come
for
us
to
make
our
equal
freedom
real.
The
cultural
space
in
India
has
to
make
room
for
lady-oriented
works
-
be
it
films,
paintings,
books,
songs.
No
one
has
the
power
to
legitimately
silence
half
the
population
of
the
country
because
our
stories
make
a
few
people
uncomfortable."