Lipstick Under My Burkha
by Alankrita Shrivastava
India 2016, 116 min.
Trapped in their own worlds, four women claim their desires through secret acts of rebellion
In rural India, a burkha-clad college girl struggles with issues of cultural identity and her aspirations to become a pop singer. A young two-timing beautician seeks to escape the claustrophobia of her small town. An oppresses housewife and mother of three lives the alternate life of an enterprising saleswoman. A 55-year-old widow rediscovers her sexuality through a phone romance. Caught in a conservative society, these women set forth to break the mold, in search of a little freedom.
Awards
The Spirit of Asia Award - Tokyo IFF 2016
Oxfam Award for Best Film on Gender Equality - Mumbai FF 2016
ScotRail Audience Award - Glasgow FF 2017
Audience Choice Award - CinemAsia FF 2017
Best Film, Best Actress (Ratna Shah) - London Asian FF 2017
Le Grand Prix du Jury - Créteil International Women's FF 2017
Audience Award for Asian Frontiers - Minneapolis St. Paul IFF 2017
Premio del Público (Audience Award) - Granada FF Cines del Sur 2017
Best Indie Film, Best Actress (Konkona Sen Sharma) - Indian FF of Melbourne 2017
Most Popular Film Award - Caleidoscope FF 2017
Audience Award - Silk Screen FF 2017
Audience Award - South Asian FF Paris 2017
Festivals
World Premiere: Tokyo IFF 2016
Indian Premiere: Mumbai FF 2016
European Premiere: Stockholm IFF 2016
Tallinn Black Nights FF 2016
African Premiere: Cairo IFF 2016
UK Premiere: Glasgow FF 2017
North American Premiere: Miami FF 2017
London Asian FF 2017
CinemAsia FF 2017
Créteil International Women's FF 2017
Leicester Asian FF 2017
Edinburgh Asian FF 2017
Cleveland IFF 2017
Dallas IFF 2017
Indian FF of Los Angeles 2017
Hawaii IFF Spring Showcase 2017
Greek Film Archive 2017
Minneapolis St. Paul IFF 2017
Indie Meme FF 2017
Filmfest DC 2017
Indie Meme FF in Dallas 2017
Los Angeles Asian Pacific FF 2017
New York Indian FF 2017
CinemAsia FF ON TOUR 2017
IFF of South Asia Toronto 2017
Plaza Indonesia FF 2017
5 Continents FF 2017
Ottawa Indian FF 2017
Seoul International Women’s FF 2017
Granada FF Cines del Sur 2017
IFF Emden-Norderney 2017
Shanghai IFF 2017
Bradford Literature Festival 2017
IndoGerman Filmweek 2017
India FF of Alberta 2017
Indian FF Stuttgart 2017
Granada FF: Special Screenings of Awarded Films 2017
7 Days in India FF 2017
Indian FF of Melbourne 2017
AKS Festival 2017
Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival 2017
San Juan IFF 2017
Aichi International Women's FF 2017
Washington DC South Asian FF 2017
Caleidoscope FF 2017
Helsinki IFF 2017
Darwin IFF 2017
Silk Screen Asian American FF 2017
China Women’s FF 2017
Trinidad+Tobago FF 2017
Calgary IFF 2017
Nuremberg International Human Rights FF 2017
Milwaukee FF 2017
Vancouver IFF 2017
Syracuse University Human Rights FF 2017
South Asian FF Paris 2017
Women Make Waves FF 2017
Confluence: Festival of India in Australia 2017
Porn FF 2017
South Asian FF of Montreal 2017
Reel Women’s Movie Marathon 2017
India Week Hamburg 2017
Films From the South Festival 2017
Cast & Crew
Ratna Pathak Shah, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aahana Kumra, Plabita Borthakur
Production: Prakash Jha Productions
Alankrita Shrivastava
Alankrita Shrivastava is a feature film director and screenwriter from Mumbai, India with a penchant for telling women’s stories. She likes to explore the complex interior world of women through her films.
Alankrita has written and directed two feature films - TURNING 30!!! (2011) and LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA (will release later in 2016).
She has worked on several Indian feature films including Raajneeti as an Associate Director, and Khoya Khoya Chand as an Executive Producer.
She has also directed short films, documentaries and music videos.
