Lipstick Under My Burkha, which depicts the secret world, including the sex lives, of four small-town Indian women, was released at the weekend after months of wrangling with the country’s notoriously prudish censors.
“The censors might not hear about it, but women are also discussing these topics amongst themselves,” another filmgoer, Priti, said.
The decision, which sparked opprobrium inside India and abroad, was overturned by an appeals board in April, clearing the film for its summer release.
An award-winning Hindi film initially banned from cinemas for being too “lady-oriented” has made its debut across India in what its director hailed as a major victory for women.