Movie Lipstick Under — Burkha

But when Shrivastava submitted Lipstick Under My Burkha to India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in 2016, the response was a thunderclap.

The board refused to certify it. Their reason? The film was "lady-oriented," with "sexual fantasies" and "audio pornography." They called it "dark," "vulgar," and "uncomfortable for women." They demanded 123 cuts—nearly half the film. One of the board members famously said, "The story is about their desire… which is not good for society." movie lipstick under burkha

Lipstick Under My Burkha is more than a film. It is a time capsule of the war over a woman's inner life. It asks us to look under the burkha—not of religion alone, but of politeness, marriage, age, and shame. And what it finds there is not a monster, not a sinner. Just a woman, reaching for a tube of red lipstick in the dark, about to paint a smile that is entirely her own. But when Shrivastava submitted Lipstick Under My Burkha