What's up with society and their fantasy to keep their women enclosed in a cage?? Don't they realise women, as fellow human beings, have desires and dreams? And they do have fantasies too!! Lipstick Under My Burkha, a black comedy film directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, tells the story of four women who still manage to keep their fantasies and dreams alive despite their rigid surroundings. These women are forced to fit in a narrative chosen by the society – of a dutiful wife, or rather a babymaker; of a respected buaji [aunty], or rather a soulless elderly woman; or of an obedient daughter, or rather a submissive subhuman. "What's your name? What?? Buaji?" The scene where Usha Parmar, or 'buaji', as everyone calls her, ponders for a moment while asked her own name by a young swim instructor; is one of the most impactful scenes in the film. Usha Parmar's character, played by the talented Supriya Pathak, offers a fresh perspective on older women, breaking the age-old film industry's tradition of desexualising older women. She secretly reads erotic novels, hiding them behind her religious texts, and calls the swim instructor at night, under the alias of 'Rosy', the name of the heroine of the novel. She is later bashed by her family because her actions stood in stark contrast to those of an older woman, written by society, was expected to only do bhajans and keerthans. She is the stark reminder of the older woman in Indian families who are constantly reminded of their ages and compelled to perform the role of a nurturer. "You are a wife!! Don't try to be a husband. "Shireen, a burqa-clad housewife, is a mother to three children and secretly works as a salesgirl. She is raped by her husband when she confronts him for cheating and dares to speak up to him. But that is not the first time, as her husband uses her every night for his sexual desires without ever really knowing her desires. She has an infection in her uterus, and on the advice of her doctor, discreetly buys a condom, but he refuses to use it. Her jobless husband maintains a cold attitude towards her and spends all his time satisfying the desires of his mistress. And after raping her for confronting him, he mocks her to act like a wife, quit her job and stay at home.  His arrogance to tell his wife to stop doing what she is really good at while literally cheating behind her back shows the hypocritical nature of society. A burqa-clad young girl is scouring a luxury store, trying perfumes; her eyes travel the racks of various luxury brands. And then her eyes land on an appealing display of lipsticks of various shades. She picked out her favourite shade and tucked it under her burqa and scurried out of the store. This is Rehana Abidi, a college girl, who goes out of the house in a burqa under the vigilant eyes of her strict parents and the people around her. And then changes into jeans at college. The educational posters on her wall are a display for her parents, and when flipped, they are the picture of Miley Cyrus. She loves Miley Cyrus and, as a singer herself, tries out for the college band. Even her dancing and enjoying herself at her neighbour Leela's engagement disappoints her parents, as if her living has become a crime then. The poor girl had to resort to stealing makeup and dresses, which in the end got her arrested, and as a consequence, her father revoked her right to education and asked her mother to look out for prospective grooms. Then there is Leela, a young beautician who runs her own parlour in the neighbourhood and who wishes to travel the world with her secret lover, Arshad, who runs a photo studio. Both of them frequently set up meetings with destination wedding businesses with her, offering makeup services, and with him, his photography. The lovebirds hope to be independent and travel the world. But the villain of her story is her mother, a nude model for art students, who forcibly fixes her wedding to another person. Leela cheats on her fiancée and plans on eloping with Arshad. In an attempt to redeem herself, she tries to get over Arshad but then realises her fiancé wishes to keep her as an ordinary housewife. The film ends with the four women passing a cigarette amongst them, revelling in their collective desire to be free. The movie faced a tough battle with the CBFC, with one of their reasons being that the film is too 'lady-oriented'! The film boldly showcases real issues existing in our society and, as the title suggests, how a woman's desires (lipstick) are suppressed under the male chauvinistic society (burqa). And they were afraid of that!

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