Lipstick Under My Burkha wins GFF audience award

Glasgow Film Festival audiences vote banned Indian movie Lipstick Under My Burkha as this year’s Audience Award winner

Feature by Jamie Dunn | 27 Feb 2017

The 13th Glasgow Film Festival came to a close last night with the world premiere of RD Laing biopic Mad to be Normal. There was plenty of applause in Glasgow Film Theatre as the film’s star, former Doctor Who David Tennant, bounded on to the stage to introduce his portrayal of the notorious psychiatrist.

An even bigger round of applause was saved for the news – announced by Tennant – that this year’s audience award winner was going to Lipstick Under My Burkha, an Indian film with a feminist slant that was refused a certificate for exhibition by the Indian censors.

The reason the film, described as being about “four feisty women in small-town India who try to chase their little dreams and desires through secret acts of rebellion,” was denied certification? It’s too “lady oriented”.

The full rejection letter from India’s Central Board of Film Certification to the producers of Lipstick Under My Burkha was shared on the film's Twitter account. At the base of the letter, the reason for denial of the certificate is said to be because “the story is lady oriented … there are sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch [sic] about one particular section of society”.

The film’s kickass director, Alankrita Shrivastava, was in Glasgow to pick up her award, which she says will embolden her to make more “lady oriented” films. “It’s really meaningful that [Lipstick Under My Burkha] got this award,” the director told the GFF audience. “I really feel it’s a victory for women’s voices across cultures and nations, so thank you, Glasgow. It’s really given me hope and courage to continue, and I’m determined to continue making films about women, seen through women’s eyes.”

Lipstick Under My Burkha hasn’t yet secured a general release in the UK and GFF’s co-director, Allan Hunter, suggested British distributors should have their eye on it: “an audience voted for that film. So why not show it to a wider audience? Buy it for the UK.”


Glasgow Film Festival ran 15-26 Feb