( The article presents a different view point on the controversial Bollywood movie 'Lipstick under my Burkha' expressed by a young female ,LLM student of Punjab University Chandigarh - Editor )
Any kind of visuals leave a deep impact on any individual. So does the movies. Probably that is the reason these days CBFC is also becoming active to censor dialogues and scenes to eliminate the harm that film industry could inflict upon the environment of the society. But the question of criterion of the ethical violations remains unanswered as it is a subjective issue. Anyhow, not deviating from my topic, presently if I stick to a particular much controversial movie 'Lipstick under my Burkha' , it fetched both flak and support at the same time from the same industry and public. Perhaps, these reactions are also rooted in the same lack of specific parameters of ethos. Each person has different perceptions and thought process.
Being viewer of the film , like majority of people ,I also left cinema hall with a dominant thought that movie was extreme demonstration of licentiousness. But at the same time , I was compelled to write and discuss the hidden messages that the film left in my mind. If one peeps into the depth of the fiction, he could discover the harsh realities interred beneath that licentiousness. Certainly few scenes were much more lewd than required to convey the message but may be that intensity did not let people like me to turn a blind eye and just forget the film as and when one left the hall. Hopefully, It did make many to mull over the subject.
The 4 different stories depict different aspects of challenges that a woman faces. I would decode each one of them with respect to the comparative reality.
First one poses a teenage girl who is compelled by her conservative parents to lead a less social and more fogy life. A girl who is intelligent and smart is allowed to continue higher studies only on some conditions , be it her sober dressing or commitment to curricular at home.
This girl is a reflection of majority of teenagers(specially girls) and her parents of most of the lower middle class parents. Many people must have related to this. But could any one notice the repercussion of that authoritative environment on youngsters? That imposition of rules, lack of basic freedom, lack of interaction with parents and a brassbound life do not help them anyway. It rather siphons their mind towards the contrasting and attracting lifestyles that their peers live. This curiosity leads to damage that is beyond repair. Such atmosphere leave the teenagers with lack of logical understanding of Rights and Wrongs and are thereby allured towards unrighteous activities.
Second story demonstrates a woman married to a man who lives in Dubai and visits home rarely. But the tragedy is that she becomes the victim of forced sexual intercourse irrespective of her will each time repetitively and of forced pregnancies too. Her plight could be easily related to a rape victim rather than a wife. She is deprived of healthy and warm touch of her husband.
Adding to her misery, she is not allowed to work outside home despite her wishes and ability.
Unfortunately , many women in our society , barring the elite class ones, are forced to live a miserable married life where they are not allowed to be independent inspite of capabilities. They are rather treated as a medium of satisfaction of male ego and lust. It is citable here that Marital Rape is not an offence under our Indian Penal laws except if wife is below 15 years or she is living separately under certain circumstances. Meaning thereby, that law also concedes to the notion that wife is Property of her husband.
Third one touches an aspect which is a taboo.It deals with a widow in her 50's keen to fulfil her biological and emotional desires. Though she holds a dominant position in her family but she is mowed down by her family members just on revelation that she was indulging herself into secret intimate conversations with a man.
Apparently , this seems to be lustful but how can we as a creatures of the nature defy the truth of our sexual appetites built by nature itself? This is carried on till age fixed by nature differently in case of different individuals.
This one is actually in contrast to second one. On one hand , a lady is avoiding the sexual relations because for her it is a manifestation of control that her husband has over her life. On the other hand , a lady in her later age is desirous of such relations as she is deprived of the same. It is just about the circumstances.
Fourth tale little bit deviates from the common pattern of societal impacts followed in the first three. This one is much more centred on a girl's own lack of strength of decision making in few circumstances owing to dominant emotional element in her nature. This girl hovers between a life of her mother's choice which is better for her and an audacious relationship she is indulged in. Inspite of her engagement with a genuine and sincere boy , she continues her relations with her boyfriend. Destroying her illusion that she would be loved in return , her boyfriend treated her as prostitute at times later in film. But the saddest part is that she is addicted to this boy and the intimate relations. Many girls in our country actually get wallowed in this mud. I second the trend of finding one's own life partners but that must be subject to many factors. Parents can give the most genuine advice and one must not be rigid to treat it adversely. Moreover, girls should learn to prioritise their self respects over emotions.
Movies like ' Lipstick under my Burkha' may appear to be obscene but they are somewhat an epitome of actual society we live in.
August 20, 2017
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Hellyfur Kaur, Student , LLM, Punjab University, Chandigarh
helly21june@gmail.com
Phone No. : 1111111111
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