Los Angeles Times: Movie Banned in India Because It Was “Lady-Oriented” Plays in US

Censorship of art in one country can put a global spotlight on the banned material. “’Lipstick Under My Burkha,’ which follows two Hindus and two Muslims searching for personal and sexual freedom, was blocked from Indian theaters this year by the national censor board even as it collected awards at international film festivals,” reports Shashank Bengali for the Los Angeles Times. The women have reasonable expectations, yet defy traditions, and Bengali suggests that the film is “the latest flashpoint in an escalating culture war in India, where powerful conservative forces are exerting increasing control over art and expression.” Since the Hindu nationalist party came to power in 2014, political leaders have appointed likeminded censors to the Central Board of Film Certification and public film schools, in addition to demanding cuts to films and requiring audiences to stand for the national anthem before films. The director of “Lipstick Under My Burkha,” Alankrita Shrivastava, points out the government censors discomforted by quirkiness, but do not mind films that objectify women. She appealed the board’s ruling, even as her film continues to receive acclaim in other countries and opens the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles on April 5. – YaleGlobal