When Desert Rose watched Lipstick Under My Burkha

It was indeed a long wait - the kind where almost the whole of the rest of the world had watched it. But we had to wait. I mean obviously – we can take item numbers with bizarre lyrics and objectification of women but the real facets – that is worth censoring, isn’t it?

*Item number - A song that can be dropped anywhere in the film with no narrative justification. A scantily-clad woman appears, dances to a cheesy song, often with double meaning, and is never seen again. Oh and it is censor board friendly. More like a product placement (female body) to get the cash registers flowing at the box office.

Ever since I walked out after watching Lipstick Under my Burkha, various perspectives have been going through my mind. The immediate reaction was all focused on the stalling performance by each artist and the story telling. It always fascinates me how the writers knit a whole lot of characters and experiences that they probably have met along their journey into a structured and engaging screenplay.

Though first, without much articulation, I also thought of phrases like women empowerment, bold ladies etc., then it hit me that maybe it wasn’t a lot of that.

All the four characters pursue their dreams – whatever they may be – in secret. All the efforts to find themselves happen under the metaphorical burkha.  The "burkha" here isn't just an impermeable purdah, but the mental block and restrictions that society injects into us to keep us within the “Laxman Rekha”. Worse, the only way they can do what they want is by lying. Together with the tired old clichés of smoking, drinking and sex being markers of freedom, the film perpetuates the patriarchal stereotype that women are lying and manipulative. There is no arguing with the filmmaker’s creative vision – that is her or his absolute right. But it is possible to question the conclusions that this film is a feminist masterpiece.

This film to me talks reality. Most of the women around us, in spite all the empowerment and progress, is still caught somewhere in between - the chasm between conservative backgrounds and modern outlooks that characterize India’s ongoing social churn. The women lead dual lives; one is how the society sees them and the other where they fantasize about how they want to be. Both these sides are seamlessly sewn together in the film and show how it can vigorously pull the women in opposite directions.

Also the sense of hope, which pervades most of the film, comes crashing down with the way the film ends. It seem like the characters are right back where they started. The men in the film are wholly one-dimensional – almost as if their only role is to act as hindrances in the path of women’s liberation.

Undoubtedly, this genre gains color and strength from its diversity. Women's stories can surely get more fun, adventurous and innovative as they show the various sides of their complex existence. I don’t know if it is “fearlessly feminist” but it is a must watch for the craft.