Indian film industry is second only to Hollywood and it has carved its own special clientele all over the world. As an example in the Middle East, Hindi films have stolen a march even against Hollywood and English language films. A film that was in the news for the last few months is Lipstick under my Burka. The film was banned by the Censor Board headed by Govind Nihalani. No reason was given, except a bland statement was issued that the film was not fit for public screening reported The Times of India.
Appeal against censor board
The producer of the film Prakash Jha has a standing of his own in the film industry.
He along with the director 28-year-old Ankita Srivastava appealed against the verdict of the board and approached the high court. In a welcome decision, the court cleared the move and gave it an 'Adult Only' certificate after the director voluntarily made a few cuts of some scenes. Ever since the BJP has come to power and Govind Nihalani has been appointed the chairman of the Film Censor Board, there has been some tightening of censorship rules.
Box office hit
The film which is made at a cost of rupees six crores was released July 21 this year. As news of the film and its theme had been the subject of gossip magazines for the last few months, the public was waiting in anticipation for the release.
The film was released in over 400 screens all over India and in its first two weeks has more than recovered the cost of the production as well as churned in a nice profit for the producer. Till date, the film has grossed over 18 crores and trade analysists have termed the film a box office hit.
The film has no stars and most of the roles are played by small time actors or those who are on the fringe of the film world.
Perhaps this is a blessing as the small actors have done well with Supriya Pathak wife of actor Naseeruddin Shah putting in a great performance. The film depicts the mind and dreams of Muslim women and how they also like all the good things of life including love and sex, even when forced to wear a burka. Thankfully, in a volatile country like India, no communal problem has taken place and many Muslims have liked the film.
Last word
The director Ankita is a woman and she has given her own interpretation of the mind of a Muslim woman. She deserves credit for an excellent presentation on the screen. Some of the love scenes are a bit steamy and explicit but probably Ankita Srivastava is the best person to have depicted them. The success of the film will give a fillip to creative films and hopefully, the Censor Board will not be as rigid as in this case.
