Lipstick Under My Burkha!

 Lipstick Under My Burkha !

My day started with a bluntly negative news in social media about banning a new movie Lipstick Under My Burkha (A head to heel ankle covering  generally black worn in black by Muslim women in the “Indian Subcontinent” and referred to by that name “Burkha”). Once again perhaps the Indian Censor Board tried to play safe, knowing very well that in a country where religious fanaticism is at the apex in all colours at these times, approving such a film (even though I am yet to get an opportunity to see the film) might just add fuel to some sections of society (let us not call them by the official term ‘minority’) who would get a chance to start a row – nay, another vox populi, the power of which the country is already foreboding in the current context.

To me, a creative matter should be seen with a creative mind. In the context of our nation, we are yet to learn the fine distinction between a creative compulsion of an artist (in any fiefdom) and a commercial tendency to make profit through exploiting communal weaknesses of people. This puts us in a disadvantage compared to people in other parts of the global community, where such categorizations do not exist. Even if it does, it is not blown out in the air to pollute every other media the way we do here. From that notion, in the Indian context, we are not yet ready to accept certain subjects for creative depiction such as nudity or for that matter a subject like sexual  fantasies inside an adult brain. There is evidence enough that some of the contemporary genre of Indian film makers and actors are able to collect accolades on such subjects outside the nation and are quite successful too in monetary terms. We cannot say that these creative social scientists are exploiting an ever intriguing subject since beginning of human civilization with an Indian spice (for instant ‘Parched’), but yes they are able to trigger a different interest on the otherwise prohibitive subject in our nation –with the ‘foreign’ film buffs.

Here we remain vigilant to the nation of a billion plus with multitudes of theories and applications in all media to brush everything in some distinct colour – not otherwise recognised outside our shores. As we go on satisfying these mass hysteria in all forms of it, we actually put a plug on our creative potential as a nation. Yes of course while opining this way the sitting heads with scissors in hand must be capable to distinguish between a ‘creative zeal’ and a ‘money making gimmick’ --- which currently sweeping even our small state Assam for some one who crossed borders of Assamese sensibilities with an obscured Bihu song. This must stop. 

The final take is that an outright ban on “Lipstick Under My Burkha” is perhaps not a well conceived judgment.

12:10 AM     25/02/2017.