LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA CLEARED WITH ‘A’ CERTIFICATE

Lipstick Under My Burkha, a film that explores women’s sexuality, has been cleared for an adult certification by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT).

The film hit headlines after the Central Board Film Certification (CBFC) headed by Pahlaj Nihalani refused it certification for its “sexual content, abusive words and audio pornography”.

Trashing the arguments by the CBFC, the FCAT has asked for the film to be granted an ‘A’ certificate with “voluntary and some additional cuts and deletions”. It has asked the film-makers to reduce the duration of sex scenes.

Amid an uproar against censorship, Nihalani had refused to certify the film, calling it “ladyoriented” and a “fantasy above life”. The FCAT found no merit in the reasoning that certification had to be denied on the grounds of “women in the film shown in bad light particularly targeting women of certain community which might hurt sentiments”. In its judgment, the FCAT has said the examining committee and revising committee of the CBFC have “misdirected themselves in denying certification on the ground that the story of the film is women oriented”.

Headed by former judge justice Manmohan Sarin, the FCAT, which was approached by the film’s makers Alankrita Srivastava and Prakash Jha, ruled that if a film handles any aspect of sexual desires and their expression sensitively without coarseness, vulgarity or obscenity, then certification cannot be disallowed. SMRITI KAK RAMACHANDRAN