Lipstick Under My Burkha

Taking women's dreams and fantasies as a starting point, Lipstick Under My Burkha is a thought-provoking, funny and important film from contemporary India. The film portrays four different women, each of them seeking to find their own identity and to detach themselves from traditional expectations. Student Rehana hides her real identity under her burkha and goes to parties in secret. The beauty expert Leela explores sex with her boyfriend while she is about to enter an arranged marriage. Housewife Shireen is a mother of three who seeks a life independent of her dominant husband, while the 55-year-old widow Usha develops her sensuality through an encounter with a young swimming coach.

Watching this film will make the feminist inside you want to cheer on these women’s behalf. In a society where the family's honour tends to come first, and women on film are often presented as beautiful and innocent counterparts of men, this film describes women who want to act on their own desires – but who cannot do so openly. It blends great wit and drama, and the humorous angle helps to highlight the protagonist's pride.

Written and directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, Lipstick Under My Burkha won the Oxfam award for best film about gender equality at the Mumbai IFF in 2016. It was initially denied a release in India due to it being “too lady-oriented” and containing explicit sexual scenes. After a battle with film censors, it officially premiered in India this summer, which has been referred to as a victory for Indian women. Christina Svien

Alankrita Shrivastava (b. 1980) is an independent Indian filmmaker. She studied Communication at the Jamia University in Dehli, and after working as an assistant for Bollywood director Prakash Jha, she directed her first feature film Turning 30 !!! in 2011. Lipstick Under My Burkha premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival.