The heart of India: How Lipstick Under My Burkha and MP Tourism are alike

The film takes us to the heart of Bhopal and of four women and the desires that take root there

The Madhya Pradesh tourism department advertisement invites potential visitors: “Hindustan ka dil dekho (Come see the heart of India)”. Alankrita Shrivastava’s Lipstick Under My Burkha does just that, taking us to the heart of Bhopal and of four women — two Hindu; two Muslim — and the desires that take root there. Only two of these women, Shireen (Konkona Sen Sharma) and Rihanna (Plabita Borthakur) actually don the burkha; for Buaji alias Usha (Ratna Pathak) and Leela (Aahana Kumra) the burkha is a metaphor for the social restrictions they have to conform to. Much as wearing lipstick is a metaphor