The movie, Lipstick Under My Burkha, is boycotted by leaders of the Muslim community in Bhopal, India. The community’s religious leaders say that the film has hurt their religious sentiments. All India Muslim Tehwar Committee also proposes to take a legal action against the movie.
Story of the Movie Lipstick Under My Burkha
Prakash Jha produced the film Lipstick Under My Burkha. The story revolves around four women characters including one young beautician, a mother of three, a college student and a 55-year-old widow. The film tries to portray the secret parts of these four women’s lives in a small town in India.
Indian Muslim Leaders on Lipstick Under My Burkha
The Indian Muslim Leaders are of the view that the movie directly comments on a very sensitive issue, burkha. Muslim women wear the burkha out of choice to protect themselves. Burkha is an Islamic tradition and must not be targeted by a movie.
Here is a statement portraying the feelings of the Indian Muslim Leaders.
“If somebody peeps into the burkha worn by our sisters and daughters, we won’t remain silent. Burkha is an Islamic tradition, and nobody has the right to talk about it in a negative way”.
Indian Censor Board Refused to Certify Lipstick Under My Burkha
The Indian Censor Board already refused to certify the movie. Here is what the letter by the Censor Board read.
“The story is lady oriented, their fantasy about life. There are continuous sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch about one particular section of society, hence film refused.”
Film Director’s Take on Censor Board’s Refusal
The Director of the movie said that he would make every effort to ensure the Indian audiences see this movie.
“I will fight this out till the very end, and do whatever it takes because this is not about my film. The real issue is the systematic suppression of women’s voices and the throttling of freedom of expression. I will refuse to succumb. In a country where there is so much discrimination against women, so much violence against women, isn’t it essential to listen to women’s stories from their point of view?”
Movie makers in India must respect all the religious minorities residing in the country. The making of this film shows the fact that Bollywood is oblivious to and beyond reproach to anything they do. Indian Censor Board took the step in the right direction by refusing to certify the movie. This refusal must serve as a deterrent to other filmmakers not make movies hurting religious sentiments of Indian minorities.
