Even after Lipstick Under My Burkha getting a worldwide release this month, the rift between the makers and the Censor board doesn’t seems to be ending. Lipstick Under My Burkha courted a lot of controversies for its racy trailer and struggle to get a release in India. The CBFC chief first declined the release to the film saying it was too lady-oriented. Recently, in an interview, director Alankrita Shrivastava revealed how she was treated by the censor board when she went there for certification. CBFC chief, Pahalaj Nihalani spurted venom on Alankrita for making these statements and called her a liar.
He told Hindustan Times that the director is trying to gain publicity by saying these things. He said, “These are tactics to draw attention to her film. You tell me, what’s the only point of curiosity about the film? That the Examining Committee rejected her film? She has been cashing in on that for months now.”
On being asked about rejecting the film, “It was by the Examining Committee. I neither viewed nor expressed my opinion over the film.” Mr. Nihalani wasn’t done yet by saying this. He kept on making shocking statements about the film.
Alankrita revealed in an interview, “The Examining Committee was divided in its opinion, so we approached the Revising Committee. Nihalani, who was present at the screening, made me feel like a criminal.” Nihalani refused to accept that this ever happened.
He reacts, “She is a liar. I was never aloof, rude or uppity with her… I very clearly remember asking her to sit. She didn’t respond. I told her that her film was rejected by the Examining Committee. She said she knew that would happen. It was a civil, to-the-point conversation. How did it make her feel like a criminal? I fail to see why she continues to flog the CBFC and me to get her film noticed, rather than have people talk about it for its intrinsic merit. Does the film have anything else to recommend itself other than the fact that it was questioned by the Censor Board?”
Watch the trailer here:
Alankrita responds by saying, “Let him say whatever he wants, as I have nothing against him. All I’m saying is that the whole idea and procedure of censorship should be thrown out of the window. In a democracy, the certification process can’t be a situation where you have to feel like you have to protect your film. It should just be a matter-of-fact procedure. There needs to be a situation where it’s a normal thing and not like you are constantly worried about what are they going to do to the film.”
Lipstick Under My Burkha is a film directed by Alankrita Shrivastava and produced by Prakash Jha. It features Konkana Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak, Vikrant Massey, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur. It has won 11 national as well as international awards under different categories. The film is slated to release on 21st July, 2017.
