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Alankrita Shrivastava directorial Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016) created quite the stir when it came out. A lot of things were happening in and around the movie. The film was denied a theatrical release by the censor board because of certain ‘graphic and objectionable’ content. However, when it finally saw the light of the day, there were widely contrasting responses to it. I remember watching it in a nearby theatre and being aghast at the initial reception the film received. At a multiplex in the country’s capital, while most women were taken in by the portrayal of its female leads, a great number of male audience were busy cracking lame, sexist jokes, especially during Ratna Pathak Shah’s ‘Bua ji’ sequences.
But as time has gone by, we have come to accept it as the definitive female-driven movie it is, told from an intelligent and aware female perspective. This doesn’t happen often in Hindi cinema, unfortunately. And the irony is, that the bits men found lurid and ridiculous in the theatre, are the parts of the movie that I have held on to for so long. Ratna’s Usha/Rosy is something to be cherished. As aforecited, it is uncommon for women to be vulnerable and show desire on screen, let alone elderly Indian women. Ratna Pathak Shah, the excellent performer she is, not only made Bua ji real, she also made you root for Usha’s happy ending. Wwhether she got that or not is another question, but we were with her on the journey, cheering her on from the bleachers.
The scene where Usha first removed her ‘Bua ji’ robe metaphorically, when she came into her own as a full-bodied woman with her dreams and desires intact, was during her first interaction with the swimming coach (played by Jagat Singh Solanki). Following which, she musters the courage to go shopping to a mall for an ‘appropriate swimsuit,’ where she ends up bumping into Konkona Sen Sharma’s Shireen Aslam.
Speaking about filming those scenes, director and writer Alankrita Shrivastava said it was a stressful 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 told indianexpress.com.
The part where Usha and Jaspal first lay eyes on each other plays out like some kind of a meet-cute from a traditional, predictable romantic-comedy. The hesitance, awkward batting of the eyelashes on Usha’s part, and Jaspal being oblivious to the kind of effect he has on her was reminiscent of American teen movies where a girl-next-door meets the super popular jock. But of course, the scene is also deliciously subversive, for we know Jaspal and Usha don’t end up together; it is his rejection of her that ultimately frees her to be herself completely.
“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 way shaped by real women, Alankrita said, “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 almost six years since Lipstick Under My Burkha was first screened, the director still has fond memories from its maiden viewing experience 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.
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