‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’: Times when the controversial film made headlines

Lipstick Under My Burkha' has gained a lot of attention in the last few months, all thanks to the controversies it courted with the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC). The 'lady-oriented' film directed by Alankrita Shrivastava has had its fair share of battles with the board that even refused to certify the film for its content that is laced with sexual scenes and abusive words, apart from other things.

After being ordered to certify the film by the country’s Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), 'Lipstick Under My Burkha' was finally awarded an adult certificate, equivalent to an NC-17 rating. Now, as the film gears up for its release, here’s a look at the times it made headlines…

'Lipstick Under My Burkha' was off with a bumpy star when the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) decided to put a stay on the release of the movie in India. The CBFC reaffirmed its ruling again in April, claiming that the film was too "lady-oriented", that it seeped in fantasy and that it could "hurt the sentiments of a certain community". Of course, the ruling was met with much outrage from the film fraternity and the general public.

A group of Muslim leaders in Bhopal passed a resolution advocating the boycott of 'Lipstick Under My Burkha' and asked the central government to ban the movie for hurting the community’s religious sentiments. The All India Muslim Tehwar Committee also disclosed plans to take legal action against the movie. According to reports, the reason for their anger was the film mocked Islamic culture and that nobody had the right to talk about a woman's choice of wearing the burkha in a negative way

Although shunned by the CBFC, ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ went on to win laurels across the globe. After impressing critics, the film was even chosen as one of the official Hollywood Foreign Press Association Screening entries at the International Film Festival in Los Angeles. This meant that the film was now one of the eligible contenders for the next Golden Globe Awards. The announcement came as a big delight for the team, who was happy that despite the ban in India, it was getting critical acclaim the world over.

The Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) came as a saviour to Alankrita Shrivastava and team. After it came to light that the CBFC was delaying certification of the film, the FCAT condemned the Pahlaj Nihalani led organisation and demanded an explanation for the same. It then ordered the board to grant the film an ‘A’ certificate and clear it for release.

One of Bollywood’s leading producers, Ekta Kapoor, came on board to join the ‘Lipstick Under My Burka’ team and offered to present and distribute the film in the country. After the producer Prakash Jha gave her a special screening of the film that explores female sexuality, Ekta was immediately was more than willing to help out the makers in any way possible.

After a six-month battle with the censor board and winning 10 awards internationally, the makers of ‘Lipstick Under My Burka’ announced its arrival at Indian theatres with a rebellious new poster. The poster with its bold visuals came to the attention of many, some who felt that it was a dig at the CBFC for causing so much trouble. With the poster, the makers announced that the film will finally hit Indian screens on July 21.