Lipstick Under My Burkha (2017) [Movie Review]

Dir: Alankrita Shrivastava
Starring: Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak, Aahana Kumra, Plabita Borthakur
Dur: 1 hr 57 mins
Genre: Drama
Rating: 7/10
PG: Quite a few sexually suggestive actions. A few sex scenes.

A seriously novel way of presenting reality. Lipstick under my Burkha is offensive, scandalous and yet smells pretty true. It shows the situation of women in Islam. I can completely understand the Islamic backlash against the film’s content. I can’t really say for sure that it reflects the truth but to a large extent it corresponds to what I have heard and read about Islamic culture. I have also heard, seen and experienced stories that don’t follow this categorization and so I am neither shocked nor cool about the issue. I liked the film for it was shameless and bold to say what it had to say and depict a reality despite the obvious consequences. In this regard I admire the director and writer. What scarred me was the amount of and nature of the sexual content of the film. Let me situate you very quickly.

The film basically seeks to present women as being oppressed in direct and indirect ways in Islamic culture. In order to do so, it presents four intertwining narratives of women who come from similar socio-cultural backgrounds who differ in age and in contexts. One is a teenage girl who desires to explore life and live out her passion. The second is a young woman who is not exactly of upright character who is in a relationship that gets complicated along the way. The third is a young wife and mother who is struggling for freedom and love. The fourth is a widow who revisits her sexuality. The plot is backed up by a narrated story that seems disconnected until later in the film. The long and short of the film is that all these women either suffer objectification from others or objectify others and they come to a common realization that their lives aren’t really theirs to live.

The title of the film tickled me and I must say that it excellently brings out the core issue of the film. The film, in terms of acting is pretty mediocre except for a few exceptions. Ratna Pathak is fantastic as the aged widow. Konkona Sen Sharma delivers a sterling performance as the unhappy wife but Aahana Kumra stole the cake. The film stirs up quite a few emotions and shakes up a few cultural stereotypes. As much as I enjoyed it I took offense at its blatant explication of lifestyle. The film hints at a subtle rebellion but is honest to also show its likely end point – a gathering of belongings accompanied by tears and shattered lipstick dreams. 

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