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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."
