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Priyanka Bhadani
Priyanka Bhadani

BOLLYWOOD

There is more to 'Lipstick' than just sex: Ratna Pathak Shah

ratna-pathak-shah-swim-suit Ratna Pathak Shah in 'Lipstick Under My Burkha'

Alankrita Shrivastava has had a tough time ever since she approached the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for the certification of her film Lipstick Under My Burkha. The board denied a certification to the film on the basis of being too “lady oriented”. After a resilient battle fought by the film's team, it will now release on July 21.

Lipstick… is set in the crowded lanes of small town India and chronicles the secret lives of four feisty women chasing a little piece of freedom. Stifled and trapped in their worlds, these four women claim their desires through small acts of courage and rebellion.

The film’s fight for the right of exhibition has become an example for young filmmakers going through troubles at the hands of CBFC. At a recent press conference addressed by Shrivastava, producer Ekta Kapoor and the starcast that included Ratna Pathak Shah and Konkona Sen Sharma among others, a valid question raised was if the film is a harbinger of change, a movement in itself?

“I think it is a bit pre-mature, (though) it may become one,” said Shah, who thinks that it does not make sense to loathe the film with words such as life-changing, movement and new-wave. “What I saw when I watched the film was an extremely interesting, extremely sensitive, funny film. I really liked the film and I think the audience will too,” she added.

In the film that has already won 11 awards at international film festivals, Shah plays an endearing character of the neighborhood Bua-ji, who shuns the boundaries set for her and wears a swimsuit with much elan. Her character symbolises freedom—freedom to wear what you want without being judged and without the fear of people ogling at you.

Shah pondered on how her mom and the people of her generation fought a tough battle to be at a respectable position (Dina Pathak, her mom, was one of the most respected female actors in theatre and cinema). Let the next generation live a freer life, she says. “The sad part is that I cannot pass it on to my daughter. How sad is that; in one generation we have given up all those advantages and we are moving backwards rapidly. It is patriarchy. It is an incomplete project—the project of dealing with patriarchs. We all— men and women—have a role to play. We have to understand that it is not a single gender's (fight),” she said.

The common notion about the film after the denial of certification on the basis of it presenting women’s desires, has been that the film is sexually inclined. And it was not a surprise that questions at the press meet revolved around the sexual desires. But Shah was upfront while saying that it is lot more than just that. 

“Sex is a small part of the four women’s story—important, of course, like it is in most people's lives—but this is not the only issue. Unfortunately, because of all the tamasha and the publicity that we got following that, aisa lagta hai jaise yeh gandi picture hai (it seems this is a cheap film). Jo bande isse gandi picture soch ke chalayenge na, bahot dukhi honge (the people, who run the film thinking it is obscene, will be heartbroken),” she quipped.

The new trailer, launched at the event, has many provocative moments. And now, the film that has got an A-certificate with a few cuts, is being tagged even by the makers as “one of the most controversial films of the year”.

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Topics : #Bollywood

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