Lipstick Under My Burkha (Movie)

 Lipstick Under My Burkha

          The fact I am sitting right now and writing this review feels late. There are already tons of reviews and interviews in the market. Yet, I feel like I need to say something. Lipstick Under My Burkha was made in 2016. It has received international recognition. Played in New York, London, and Tokyo film ceremonies, India didn't give this movie its due credit. The film certification board of India banned it in 2017 claiming that this was too lady-oriented. How can you classify something as lady-oriented? However, the certification board did just that and has now earned itself a new name- Censor Board. 

          There are a few movies and series that bring out the struggles of a woman but the rarest of them all are on-the-ground realities. Four More Shots Please was feministic but it didn't feel real. It was a fairy tale show. The God Of Small Things a book by Arundhati Roy was a heartwarming book. It was an inspiration and reality in its truest form. Lipstick Under My Burkha is brutally honest. It doesn't sugarcoat the struggles or like many Bollywood movies, it doesn't force a happy ending. It is honest and true to its nature, it carries within itself quite a flair of dark humor.

          Four women Rehana Abidi, Leela, Shirin Aslam, and Usha Buaji dare to live their lives in small ways. Chained by the society, its rules, its standards, and the cage of patriarchy, the four women sing their song in small voices within the four walls, under the Burkha careful not to make noise.

          Ushaji played by Ratna Pathak is a woman who lost her husband, her young body, and her freedom. However, she carries within herself her youth and its desires. At an age where society expects her to go to Babaji's and pravachans, she decided to secretly learn swimming. Falling in love with the young coach instructor destroys her from inside as she yearns for him. Society upon learning her secrets destroys her externally by shunning her.

          Shirin Aslam played by Konkona Sen Sharma is a secret ambitious saleswoman. Why secretive? You guessed it! Because of society and its expectation. No honorable woman shall go door to door selling products. It's the job of a sly woman. To not make things easier, her husband is jobless but won't support her choice to become a saleswoman, Further, he insists on abusively using her for sex. Which really makes us question how many rapes occur in marriage?!? Well, that topic is for another day.

          Leela played By Aahana Kumra wants to start her own business. She is in love with a photographer. However, her marriage is fixed with a really genuinely good guy who loves her. But that's not what Leela wants. She wants to climb the mountain. She wants to become something. How can she dare to dream something so out of the box when everything within the 'norms' is perfectly laid out for her?

          Rehana Abidi played by Plabita Borthakur is a daughter of an extremely conservative Muslim family. With huge reluctance, her father allowed her to go to college. But Rehana wants to become a singer and a dancer. She loves English songs. She wants to live college life from its drama auditions to its parties. Her daily uniform is Burkha. She supports her family by sewing burkha in their shop. Then how can she even think of a different life?

          Know the story and struggle of these four women. How they stole a little happiness and small laughter from their strict guidelines of living from the manual of patriarchal society.

Rating: 5/5