It's rarely in cinema industry that a newcomer actor finds a film of his/her choice and even more rare that their big-screen lead role becomes a part of a viral rebellion. Aahana Kumra considers herself lucky to be part of a film that shackles the age-old mentality of patriarchy and freely talks about women desires, taking a step closer to women liberation.
Lipstick Under My Burkha, directed by Alankrita Shrivastava and produced by Prakash Jha, is a story of four women who are exploring lives and searching for freedom. Aahana plays the role of a small town girl who is desperately hoping to escape her future arranged marriage.
But initially, Aahana almost had lost the opportunity to be a part of this movie because of her prior commitments. Talking about her odds in working in the film Aahana says, "Fortune favours the brave and voila, it came to me again! Alankrita's casting team Shruti and Parag called me and asked me if I was free in August and I was appalled to know they hadn't shot the film yet. They had tested almost the whole of Mumbai and I too auditioned for the part. I bagged the role and was so happy to be collaborating on a script that was going to turn into a movement with the most stellar cast."
Aahana plays a young beautician who plans to elope with her love and escape her small-town life. In an exclusive interaction with News18.com, the actress dwells more into her character. "Mine is a very unapologetic kind of a character, very unashamed of herself. So when the opportunity was given to play a character closer to my belief, I took it without any further ado," she says.
When asked about the boldest shade of the lipstick which she finds apt to describe the film, the actress quips, "Red!" She further adds, "Red is a colour of rebellion and dare. You wear it to make a statement of being bold and fearless. Red is the colour of rage as well, which is there in the film. Women are self-oppressed in many ways, more than men. I think it's the years of patriarchal thoughts that bind them, and thus there is a rage to break free."
Lipstick Under My Burkha got caught in a huge rift with the Censor Board when the board refused to certify the film calling it 'too lady-oriented'. About the controversy and eventual win against the mentality of the board, Aahana says, "I was definitely upset at the thinking of the society and how the entire episode with the board unfolded, which was so afraid of knowing women's perspective. We consider ourselves a liberated society yet we can't hear a woman's voice and rather choose to shut them up. We are so afraid to talk about women's sexual desire, as a society, so much that we choose to ban a film based on it."
"In the film, we stand against men who tell us what to do, men who are afraid of us and thus oppress us in fear," she adds.
However, the actress admits that she had a sadistic pleasure knowing that the film was scaring the wits out of the board.
Aahana, who has previously worked in various digital videos, and with the likes of Anurag Kashyap and Amitabh Bachchan in TV series Yudh considers digital medium as the upcoming mode of entertainment. On this shift towards digital platforms, Aahana says, "The youth today doesn't watch TV because they have no time. Web series are crispier and more relatable. There isn't a traditional bahu clad in makeup, sleeping on the bed. The characters of web-series' are closer to real life and that's why the content is attractive.
While Lipstick Under My Burkha talks about feminism, the world needs to hear more often, there is another word that has been garnering attention in the show-biz- Nepotism. About the much-debated topic of the industry, Aahana keeps a very clear stand. The actress says, "I feel movies is a business where when a child sees his or her parents acting, the seed is sown in them very early. No doubt it's frustrating for outsiders when after several good auditions, the role goes to a Kapoor's son or a Khan's daughter, but then that's how it is. There's a lot of good work out there and if you are deserving, it gets to you, eventually."
However, the actress is quick to add that she never felt envious towards any star kid landing a flossy role. "I do feel that there are several star kids on the block who don't know anything else apart from looking pretty. I've never watched a star kids’ film and felt 'Wish I'd done that role... except for Alia. I think she's the most deserving star kid on the block."
Lipstick Under My Burkha also stars Ratna Pathak Shah, Konkona Sen and Plabita Borthakur and is set to release on July 21. The film challenges the shackles of patriarchy and moral policing of women's dignity, through the story of liberating small town women and some direct, very direct, sexual acts and references. Through the kaleidoscope of the veiled dreams and pulpy fantasies of these women, the film speaks of the pulsating spirit of rebellion.
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