Alankrita Shrivastava directorial Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016) created fairly the stir when it got here out. Quite a lot of issues had been occurring in and across the film. The movie was denied a theatrical launch by the censor board due to sure ‘graphic and objectionable’ content material. However, when it lastly noticed the sunshine of the day, there have been broadly contrasting responses to it. I keep in mind watching it in a close-by theatre and being aghast on the preliminary reception the movie obtained. At a multiplex within the nation’s capital, whereas most girls had been taken in by the portrayal of its feminine leads, a large number of male viewers had been busy cracking lame, sexist jokes, particularly throughout Ratna Pathak Shah’s ‘Bua ji’ sequences.
But as time has passed by, we have now come to simply accept it because the definitive female-driven film it’s, informed from an clever and conscious feminine perspective. This doesn’t occur typically in Hindi cinema, sadly. And the irony is, that the bits males discovered lurid and ridiculous within the theatre, are the components of the film that I’ve held on to for thus lengthy. Ratna’s Usha/Rosy is one thing to be cherished. As aforecited, it’s unusual for ladies to be weak and present want on display screen, not to mention aged Indian girls. Ratna Pathak Shah, the wonderful performer she is, not solely made Bua ji actual, she additionally made you root for Usha’s blissful ending. Wwhether she obtained that or not is one other query, however we had been along with her on the journey, cheering her on from the bleachers.
The scene the place Usha first eliminated her ‘Bua ji’ gown metaphorically, when she got here into her personal as a full-bodied girl along with her goals and wishes intact, was throughout her first interplay with the swimming coach (performed by Jagat Singh Solanki). Following which, she musters the braveness to buy groceries to a mall for an ‘appropriate swimsuit,’ the place she finally ends up bumping into Konkona Sen Sharma’s Shireen Aslam.
Speaking about filming these scenes, director and author Alankrita Shrivastava stated it was a anxious shoot. “We had to finish the swimming pool scenes in two days. So the good thing was we were done with the phone bit with Ratna (Pathak Shah) and the coach artiste. We were quite prepped, so at the time of shoot, you know what you’re going for. I remember it being a bit stressful because we had the access to the pool for only so long, but yeah it was fun too. It was like a romantic scene without actually being romantic. In a way it was a very ‘rom-commy’ scene. At least that was the kind of vibe I was going for,” Alankrita informed indianexpress.com.
The half the place Usha and Jaspal first lay eyes on one another performs out like some sort of a meet-cute from a conventional, predictable romantic-comedy. The hesitance, awkward batting of the eyelashes on Usha’s half, and Jaspal being oblivious to the sort of impact he has on her was harking back to American teen films the place a girl-next-door meets the tremendous in style jock. But after all, the scene can be deliciously subversive, for we all know Jaspal and Usha don’t find yourself collectively; it’s his rejection of her that in the end frees her to be herself utterly.
“The idea was that these are very ordinary women who have different kind of desires, which they feel the need to suppress. Konkona is also hiding the microwave that she’s won (in that mall scene). The aim was to just constantly explore modernity and tradition, and desire and ambition; how that kind of plays out between these women. There was an effort to represent how one woman can be there for another woman, in real, small practical ways, through a more lived-in lens,” the filmmaker added.
Asked if Ratna’s character was in any means formed by actual girls, Alankrita stated, “Bua ji was not inspired by anyone. But you do see these old people believing that they don’t have any sense of sexuality, and holding on to that stereotype.”
Though it has been nearly six years since Lipstick Under My Burkha was first screened, the director nonetheless has fond reminiscences from its maiden viewing expertise in Japan: “I have lovely memories of filming it, it was a crazy, hectic schedule. We had a wonderful cast and crew. Four (the main cast of Ratna Pathak, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur) women made the film happen, and I will always be eternally grateful to them. I still remember, in Japan, after first screening, a woman just touched her heart and touched my heart and she started crying. That was really moving.”
You can stream Lipstick Under My Burkha on Amazon Prime Video.
