Rating: 3.5/5 Star
Star Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak, Plabita Borthakur, Aahana Kumrah, Sushant Singh, Vikrant Massey, Shashank Arora, Vaibhav Tatwawdi, Jagat Singh Solanki
Director: Alankrita Shrivastava
What’s Good: Script, direction, performance, cinematography
What’s Bad: You might not feel comfortable watching it with your parents
Loo Break: During interval
Watch or Not?: You will enjoy
Shireen (Konkona Sensharma) is a sales girl whose husband working in Saudi and visits home occasionally. Whenever her husband comes home, she is forced into a passionless sex every night by her husband who treats her like a sex toy. Shireen’s husband Rahim (Sushant Singh) doesn’t know about her profession as she is intelligent enough to know that he’ll never approve of it.
Leela (Aahana Kumra), a beautician is being forced to marry a man of his mother’s choice but she is madly in love with her boyfriend Arshad (Vikrant Massey) and the two plan to elope.
Rihanna, (Plabita Borthakur) a college student is forced to stich burkha every night by her parents. She wears burkha but under it are a pair of torn denims, boots, Miley Cyrus top and branded expensive lipstick– all stolen from a shopping mall. She delivers strong feminist lectures in college and silently stiches burkhas at night. Her favorite song is Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven.
55-year-old bua ji (Ratna Pathak Shah) is addressed as bua ji by everyone from 6 to 60. She is expected to go satsang while she goes to learn swimming instead. She calls up her young handsome trainer at night pretending to be a fictitious character and reads out pages from an erotic novel and engages in phone sex in her bathroom.
Leela (Aahana Kumra), a beautician is being forced to marry a man of his mother’s choice but she is madly in love with her boyfriend Arshad (Vikrant Massey) and the two plan to elope.
Rihanna, (Plabita Borthakur) a college student is forced to stich burkha every night by her parents. She wears burkha but under it are a pair of torn denims, boots, Miley Cyrus top and branded expensive lipstick– all stolen from a shopping mall. She delivers strong feminist lectures in college and silently stiches burkhas at night. Her favorite song is Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven.
55-year-old bua ji (Ratna Pathak Shah) is addressed as bua ji by everyone from 6 to 60. She is expected to go satsang while she goes to learn swimming instead. She calls up her young handsome trainer at night pretending to be a fictitious character and reads out pages from an erotic novel and engages in phone sex in her bathroom.
Lipstick Under My Burkha Review
A film based on the lives of four women who are loosely connected. They have to secretly try to live their dreams and face a lot of obstacles imposed by the male dominated society.
The film talks about the restrictions imposed by the male dominated society on women where they do not always get what they rightfully deserve.
The story offers the right dose of humor and sarcasm while narrating the battles of four women, who can only dream of living life in their own terms. However, the climax could surely have been better! The filmmaker could have at least let the ladies live their “lipstick wale sapne” in reel, because that seldom happens in real, especially for women residing in small towns.
A majority of Indian women will be able to relate to the lives of these 4 women.
The title is very catchy!
Star Performance:
Star Performance is one of the great strengths of this film. I don’t think I can describe in words Konkona Sensharma and Ratna Pathak Shah’s performance. Outstanding!
Plabita Borthakur is a real talent and makes the viewer empathize. Aahana Kumra could have done better.
Vikrant Massey and Sushant Singh are just superb in one word.
Direction & Music of Lipstick Under My Burkha:
The film started in a light hearted mood and gradually gets serious. Alankrita impresses as a storyteller. I watched a film after a long time which was lengthy if I count the minutes but for once i did not feel the length. That’s the magic of a good storyteller, a good director who keeps the audience hooked on to the film.
The film is an binding story which tends to mirror the harsh reality of women in our society.
Jiggy jiggy, the wedding song and Leli Jaan are enjoyable numbers.
Important Think:
This is a brave film which many in this male society might find difficult to digest.
Although I failed to understand what is so “lady-oriented” about the film I would definitely thank CBFC for making me more curious about it. 3.5 stars!!!!