Lipstick Under My Burkha makers to approach tribunal
As the CBFC refuses to certify Prakash Jha’s Lipstick Under My Burkha, director Alankrita Shrivastava says they will approach the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT)
The Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) refusal to certify Prakash Jha’s film, Lipstick Under My Burkha, came as a shock to the makers as well as members of the industry. A letter from the CBFC, which lists the reason behind this move, has been circulating on the Internet. It reads, “The story is lady oriented their fantasy above life. There are contanious sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch about one particular section of society, hence film refused under guidelines (sic).” Director Alankrita Shrivastava (inset) says that they will now approach the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT). “After we got the letter, we went to the revising committee two to three days ago. I went to meet Mr Nihalani (Pahlaj Nihalani, CBFC chairperson) after the screening. He told me categorically that they have decided to not certify the film. So the next step is to go to the tribunal,” she says. The film, which stars Konkona Sensharma (left), Ratna Pathak Shah, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur, is about the lives of four women, seeking freedom to fulfil their desiresdesires. The director feels that this decision of the board is to silence women voices. “This is a way of stifling women’s voices. It’s like saying that women don’t have the right to tell their story. I feel that things said in an honest way from a female perspective might not be convenient for a patriarchal society,” she says.
Konkona says CBFC guidelines need to be updated. “You can give the film an A certificate, and willing and consenting adults will watch it. I don’t know why they (censor board) are taking decisions on anyone’s behalf. What gives them so much power? I feel that the guidelines need to be examined. We need to have more evolved and progressive guidelines,” she says.