Lipstick Under My Burkha director Alankrita Shrivastava: The film has a destiny, power and life of its own

Although it has been refused certification by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), thereby effectively banning its theatrical release in India for an absurd reason like being “too lady-oriented”,  Lipstick Under My Burkha is earning accolades all over the globe.

After premiering at coveted events like the Glasgow Film Festival and the Miami International Film Festival, the movie was selected for the opening gala night at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA).

Before the screening of the movie, Christina Marouda, director of IFFLA announced that Lipstick Under My Burkha is now officially eligible for the prestigious Golden Globe Awards.

The director of the film, Alankrita Shrivastava, will now have the opportunity to plan a Golden Globes’ campaign should she choose to submit the film for nomination.

Just back from Los Angeles, Alankrita told Firstpost: “Lipstick Under My Burkha is proving to be an incredible journey.  Nothing could have prepared me for the kind of love and appreciation the film is getting from all corners of the world.”

She also seemed quite unfazed by the CBFC’s stance on her film, telling us, “I think the film really has a destiny, a power and a life of its own.  We’re having screenings of the film every other day in different parts of the world and I’m always flooded with messages about how theatres have been packed, people are waiting to buy tickets, screenings are being moved to larger theatres to accommodate the rush. But more than anything, about how much people are connecting with the film.”

As an independent filmmaker from India, Alankrita feels nothing can be more gratifying than having audiences the world over moved by one’s film. “That too when the film is actually so specific in its cultural context,” she points out.

The film has won seven prestigious awards already and Alankrita is proud of the latest honour Lipstick Under My Burkha received at IFFLA.  The Hollywood Foreign Press Association chose to make the IFFLA screening of Lipstick Under My Burkha an official HFPA screening, thus making the film eligible for the Golden Globes.

“I would never have thought that the film has a chance at the Golden Globes, but now with this new development, I feel we should at least make an attempt to run. I don’t yet know what exactly it entails, but it feels great to know that the film is being encouraged to campaign for the Golden Globes,” Alankrita said.

“I am deeply humbled that the world is appreciating the film,” she added. “Hats off to the producer of the film — Prakash Jha — for believing in this tiny little film about the secret dreams of four ordinary women.”