Lipstick Under My Burkha
Lipstick Under My Burkha posterTwitter

Lipstick Under My Burkha starring Konkana Sensharma and Ratna Pathak, which is set to open in theatres on Friday, July 21, has received positive reviews from Bollywood critics and celebrities.

On Tuesday, the makers had arranged a special screening of the movie for the industry people. A large section of the critics say that the film is a must watch and heaped praises to the terrific performances by the cast. Celebs like Shraddha Kapoor and Tisca Chopra, who had attended the special screening, took to Twitter to claim that Lipstick Under My Burkha is funny and a necessary film.

Lipstick Under My Burkha trailer: Konkona Sensharma, Ratna Pathak Shah's film receives mixed reactions on Twitter

Also starring Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur, the film narrates the secret lives of four small town women and their sexual fantasies. The trailer is packed with bold lines and a lot of sexual acts, and gives a glimpse of how the women rebel, explore and enjoy their desires.

Lipstick Under My Burkha was denied certification by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) citing "explicit" and "abusive" content and for being "too lady oriented." It was only after the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) overruled censor board's decision to reject the movie that the ban was lifted and the film was granted 'A' certificate.

Take a look at the critics review of Lipstick Under My Burkha:

Ratna Pathak
A still of Ratna Pathak Shah from Lipstick Under BurkhaPR Handout

Tushar P Joshi of Bollywood Life said: "A must watch for some terrific performances by the lead cast, Lipstick Under My Burkha will hopefully bring to light some issues that need attention and start a discussion or a conversation between women who are struggling for the most basic right in life – one to be happy."

Kunal Guha of Mumbai Mirror said: "Ratna Pathak Shah delivers on her Buaji's closeted desires with decided restraint and rehearsed uncertainty and is the finest of the lot. The film explores India's twisted relationship with intercourse. Patriarchy defines it as a male need delivered by a female who can barely voice whether the act evokes pain or pleasure. And it is this voice that the film deliberates while referring to 'sapne' and how Indian women can't dare to see them."

Shubhra Gupta of Indian Express said: "What makes the film it is, is the upfront, frank manner in which female desire and fantasy are treated, running like a strong, vital thread through the film. Dreams can keep you alive, and age is just a number. Take a bow, producer Prakash Jha, director Alankrita Srivastava, and the entire cast and crew. And now excuse me while I go looking for my deepest, reddest lipstick."

Sushant Mehta of India Today said: "Like almost every B-wood flick 'Lipstick under my burkha' has a very banal ending, a shame considering the riveting storyline and stellar performance which make this film a must watch. I am going with 3 out of 5 for 'Lipstick under my burkha' although veiled, this is an important announcement of change in Hindi cinema & hopefully in our society. It's about time we don't cover up."

Veer Arjun Singh of Business Standard said: "The Prakash Jha production, Lipstick Under My Burkha treats multiple hush-hush subjects with the essential dose of entertainment. It's neither "serious" nor "scandalous". It's one of those movies that reward its viewers for their time and makes a filmmaker relevant."

Below are some of the celebrity reviews of the film:

Tisca Chopra: "What a funny happy mad necessary film! Congrats @alankrita601 @ektaravikapoor @konkona @shru2kill @aahanakumra..."

Kalki Koechlin: "Lipstick under my *****
Go watch it! Beautiful performances, funny, dark and all too true.@LipstickMovie #releasing21stJuly"

Shraddha Kapoor: "#LipstickUnderMyBurkha. So so so happy to see such an amazing film. Fearless, relevant, eye opening, liberating. Girl power all the way ❤️"