Not good enough to be likeable, not bad enough to hateable
‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ is as pretentious a title can get so I didn’t have much expectations out of the movie. Just like the title the movie was loud and the making was literal. It’s message-oriented film with big bold letters. The only way to escape out of the cliched storytelling is by being funny which it partly does. It’s also raw and the characters are vibrant. In fact, it’s the characters and Konkana Sen Sharma who made me want to watch the movie and, in the end, they remained the only positives out of the movie.
Rosy is introduced as the heroine of an erotic pulp fiction novel titled Lipstick Dreams. The story is read by 55-year-old widow, Usha Parmar (Ratna Pathak) throughout the film with her having the closest parallel to the book. She is the person who runs an age-old sweets and savories shop in her old house. Flat promoters are behind her for her property. She is a responsible face out there and has even forgotten her name and calls herself ‘Bauji’ even when the swimming coach asks for her.
Rehana Abidi (Plabita Borthakur), a fresher in college earns her living by stitching Burkha but as soon as she goes out, she gets out of it and turns modern. To satisfy her earnings she steals whatever she wants from a nearby mall. Those were the tensest moments in the film, than any lady trying to prove their message. Also, her attitude where she says that she drinks, smokes etc. were lovely. Loved her performance in the film. She does all these activities with great restraint. Even when her father house arrests her in the end, she does cry or protest but simply accepts the fact.
Leela (Aahana Kumra), a young beautician has a secret lover Arshad (Vikrant Massey). Both of whom plan to travel around the world by a make up come photography combo. Personally, I connected with the track more than any because it felt like a great plan and I thought how I could start working on such a thing. Wouldn’t it be awesome doing such a work? And enjoy all the honeymoon destinations free of cost.
The last track and by far the weakest one is that of Shireen Aslam (Konkona Sen Sharma), a burkha-wearing house-wife who secretly works as sales girl but couldn’t get approval to work from her husband when she gets promoted. It’s an age-old story but thanks to Konkona. She doesn’t over dramatize it. Even during the climax, she takes it up as such and continues with her life. It would have been nice if she had said no to cigarette which she later accepts. It would have shown her with a better resolve.
They don’t have much connect together apart from being in the same neighborhood. For everyone of them its sex which connects. And ethically or morally whatever they do doesn’t seem to be right as per society. The film showcases how individual needs have to be common for everything. Thanks to the character of Leela and to an extent Usha, the film gets a new dimension, otherwise its so simple to empathize with every character who are clear cut agonized by their family.
More than the story it’s the actors who make us keep glued to the film. The film tries to have a quirky non teary take on the suppressed women on the society but unfortunately it becomes a joke on itself. It neither goes the happy way nor the sad way. There wasn’t a single scene where I could emote. It’s only the subject which is heavy and laudable. Otherwise, this message film would have been a further more tedious watch.
constantscribbles 