Off late, CBFC has been creating a lot of issues for film releases and there have been many controversies surrounding the same. The latest target of the Censor Board is “Lipstick Under My Burkha”, a film by Alankrita Shrivastava. It was screened at the International film festival also got a gender equality award, but it seems, CBFC is denying certification. What an Irony!
Yes, the Censor Board has refused to issue certification, stating the reason that it is “Lady Oriented”. This decision of CBFC hasn’t gone down well with many.
The Board’s letter was shared by Renuka Shahane on her Twitter account; she is pissed off with CBFC.
Here’s her tweet…
"Lipstick Under My Burkha",an award winning film directed by Alankrita Shrivastav refused a Certificate for these unfathomable reasons 👇 😠 pic.twitter.com/QZwi3yhTCn
— Renuka Shahane (@renukash) February 23, 2017
The letter read…
“The story is lady oriented, their fantasy above life. There are contanious sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch about one particular section of society, hence film refused under guidelines 1(a), 2(vii), 2(ix), 2(x), 2(xi), 2(xii) and 3(i).”
Well, “Lipstick under my burkha” is a feminist film and revolves around 4 women, Plabita Borthakur, Aahana Kumra, Ratna Pathak Shah and Konkona Sen Sharma who need some freedom from their boring lives.
Alankrita stated “It’s a feminist film with a strong female voice which challenges patriarchy. I think that’s why they don’t want to certify it. As a filmmaker, I stand by the story and will fight for it till the end.”
Director Alankrita tweeted..
Ironic. Film wins gender equality award gets NO certificate. @lipstickmovie #lipstickundermyburkha https://t.co/BRae4yOFrV via @mumbaimirror
— Alankrita Shrivastava (@alankrita601) February 23, 2017
Farhan Akhtar says…
Below is the reason CBFC listed for denying #LipstickUnderMyBurkha a release. Keep your barf bag ready.. pic.twitter.com/NFO42sRJIb
— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) February 23, 2017
Here’s how Twitter reacted to this decision…
We were better off in the earlier days!
https://twitter.com/sinpulsive/status/834693895824957440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
True!
https://twitter.com/varungrover/status/834635989616205824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
It’s a ban!
https://twitter.com/ghaywan/status/834674548574453760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
How far do you think is this decision correct? How can CBFC not issue certification to a film which focuses on gender equality? Just because it is “Lady oriented”, should it be banned? Do share your views on this in our comments section below.
