A Muslim organisation in India has asked that the censor board not clear the Prakash Jha-produced film Lipstick Under My Burkha.
The film, directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, has already run into trouble as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) banned its release for being “lady-oriented” and containing “abusive words”.
“Advisory panel of Madhya Pradesh unit of All India Muslim Tehwar Committee at its meeting here on Friday condemned the movie,” the organisation’s state unit chairman Ausaf Shahmeeri Khurram said.
He alleged that the film was “against the dignity of our women and tenets of Islam” and said the AIMTC had requested the CBFC not to clear it.
The film was shot in Bhopal.
Lipstick Under My Burkha won the Spirit of Asia Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Oxfam Award for Best Film on Gender Equality at the Mumbai Film Festival. It features Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthaku. PTI LAL EMY
Meanwhile, censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani on Saturday said that the CBFC is responsible for more than just rating films.
“CBFC is part of the government, the responsibility of which is not only limited to issuing certificates to the films but also to preserve the culture and tradition of the country. CBFC is needed so that right kind of films are exhibited in public,” Nihalani said.
“The status quo will be maintained till the time I am here. We will follow the guidelines,” he said.
Nihalani explained why the CBFC refused to give the movie a rating certificate.
“We have not blocked the title [of the film] but our objection is to the content of the film. We are in favour of women empowerment as is being talked about but we don’t agree with the type of treatment and projection that has been accorded to them,” Nihalani said.
