LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA

A small town in India is home to four courageous women seeking their own taste of freedom, even if that means chasing their suppressed desires in secret. A college freshman dreams of singing stardom and forbidden fashion while honoring her family’s strict, traditional values. A middle-aged widow yearns for long-overdue romance and finds inspiration in a provocative novel and some covert phone calls. An agonizing fiancée is torn between her upcoming arranged marriage and the attempts to keep her secret love affair afloat. A stay-at-home mother feels trapped in the life her husband planned for her and builds a successful career that could finally gain her some independence. LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA will have audiences rooting for these brave, captivating women as they struggle to make even the slightest bit of progress towards realizing their dreams despite the circumstances so heavily stacked against them. Director Alankrita Shrivastava reveals a brutally honest view of women drowning in rules, yet daring to believe they can create their own. (In Hindi with subtitles) —A.B.