Box office clashes are not new to the industry. But in a sign of changing times of women being at the helm of film projects, perhaps, there is a breath of fresh air.
Prakash Jha Productions’ Lipstick Under My Burkha, directed by Alankrita Shrivastava and now presented and distributed by Ekta Kapoor, had announced 28th July as it’s release date.
Sneha Rajani, Head of Sony/MSM Pictures, has produced the Arjun Kapoor starrer Mubarkaan which was releasing on the same day. And then Shraddha Kapoor’s Haseena moved to the same day.
Sneha Rajani and Ekta Kapoor go back a long way. And it seems they discussed how to enable the best releases even for each other’s projects. So it now transpires that Ashwini Iyer Tiwari’s Bareily Ki Barfi moved to August 18, freeing up July 21st.
Ekta Kapoor presented Lipstick Under My Burkha will thus now release on July 21. And Shraddha Kapoor’s Haseena will release on July 28along with Mubarkaan. It is going to be weeks of films by and about women. Earlier Ekta had moved the release of Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara! which was clashing with SRK's Chennai Express.
Producer of Lipstick Under My Burkha Prakash Jha confirmed, “Lipstick Under My Burkha will now release on July 21. It is a film that celebrates women. It is good to see more and more films being made by and about women. It is a sign of change. More women helming film projects should definitely change the landscape of the film industry.”
We agree with Mr Jha, women directors and producers can definitely lead by example. Supporting each other and definitely rooting for a film like Lipstick Under My Burkha that has been embraced across the world for giving voice to the secret lives and hidden desires of Indian women.
