Lipstick Under My Burkha finally is ready for release. After a long battle, Alankrita Shrivastava's acclaimed film has been passed by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) for release on 28 July. Shrivastava's film now also has a powerful backer in the form of Ekta Kapoor on board.
The film has been in the news since last year with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) deemed the film too 'lady oriented' for Indian audiences. The CBFC refused to provide a certification to the film, forcing producer Prakash Jha and director Alankrita Shrivastava to approach the FCAT tribunal. The tribunal has now allowed the film certification after suggesting a few cuts to scenes featuring sexual content.
Having fought long and hard to get the certification, the film's fate was still uncertain as it had no buyer. It was at a screening by producer Prakash Jha that Ekta Kapoor expressed interest in the film.
Kapoor has now been confirmed as the Pan-Asian distributor for Alankrita Shrivastava's film. In a Mumbai Mirror report, Kapoor said, "Not only was I totally blown away by the content but also felt that it showcased a great combination of accountability and entertainment."
The film will now be presented by Ekta's Balaji Motion Pictures, which has earlier produced some radical content in the form of Dibakar Bannerjee's LSD: Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010).
Speaking about the film, Ekta said, "Lipstick Under My Burkha signifies a rebellion of the mind and is a film that celebrates women and their sexuality. I believe that this is a story that needs to be told and wanted to put all my muscle behind a film like this."
Alankrita Shrivastava's film stars Konkona Sensharma, Vikrant Massey, Ratna Pathak Shah, and Aahana Kumra among others. The film has already won Spirit of Asia prize and an award for Best film on Gender Equality at the Glasgow Film Festival. It is also in the running for the Golden Globes this year.
The film is now set to release on 28 July.