Directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, Lipstick Under My Burkha describes itself as a story about “four feisty women in small-town India [who] try to chase their little dreams and desires through secret acts of rebellion”, and has won awards at the Tokyo and Mumbai film festivals.
An award-winning Indian film with a feminist slant has been refused a certificate by the Indian censors.
In a letter to the producers of Lipstick Under My Burkha, the Central Board of Film Certification denied the film a certificate because “the story is lady oriented … there are sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch [sic] about one particular section of society”.
In an interview with the Quint she added: “Why should a film that tells a story of female desire be stifled?