— Ratna Pathak Shah, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aahana Kumra, and Plabita Borthakur — get together for an interview. It was only a moment ago that they were posing defiantly for their #LipstickRebellion selfies – middle fingers up and all. Having kick-started their campaign (building up to the film’s release on July 21), the women’s glares melt away as they giggle at inside jokes while I can barely keep track of everyone’s sharp repartees with the quartet made up of — Pathak Shah, Sen Sharma, Kumra and Borthakur finishing each others’ sentences. The film sees the four women Pathak Shah, Sen Sharma, Kumra and Borthakur essaying the characters of four women from Bhopal as they fight for their dreams and aspirations while subverting patriarchy with small steps.
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Statement of change
Discussing their multi-hued characters, the actors share how Rohit Chaturvedi’s costumes bring out their essence in the colourful dramedy. Take for instance, Usha, portrayed by Pathak Shah. She dons a brightly coloured swimsuit with sleeves — complete with bows. “It stands for a great statement of change,” she reveals, “and all the awkwardness, excitement, and issues of self-image that go with it.”
For Kumra, playing Leela meant wearing bright colours with criss-cross backs and backless designs. Kumra says her character is immensely rebellious, and her dressing sense seems even bolder when viewed in the context of her being from Bhopal. “I had to wear these clothes and ride around on a scooter through the chowk,” she points out, “And men were constantly staring at me going back and forth for the takes.”
While Shirin (played by Sen Sharma) and Rehana (Borthakur)’s characters wear burkhas in the film, the garment holds a uniquely different meaning for each. “At her age and in her circumstances, Shirin wears what she needs to wear,” says Sen Sharma about her character. “Since she picks her battles, she doesn’t question the burkha, but uses it to her own advantage.”
On the other hand, the burkha is oppressive for Rehana, and she finds freedom in her tees and boots. “While the clothes she wears are smart,” shares Borthakur, “They have that small-town feel to it. Her clothes reflect her efforts to fit into the ‘in’ crowd at college.”
Drawn to script
While Pathak Shah and Sen Sharma took on the roles as soon as they were offered to them, Kumra almost lost the role owing to clashing dates with her shoot for Yudh — a TV series starring Amitabh Bachchan. But with when the film’s shoot was postponed, Kumra successfully auditioned to bring Leela alive on the big screen.
Similarly, since Shrivastava wanted Borthakur to portray Rehana, she was shocked to see the actor had lost weight during the few months of the shoot’s delay as she wanted her character to look chubby. “I didn’t mind eating everything again to put on those kilos,” laughs Borthakur.
What drew all four to the project was the fleshed-out script which stood in contrast to many stories they have had to dredge through. Amongst the things that stood out was that it revealed the professional lives of these working women, unlike leaving that dimension to be understood. “I ended up becoming the in-house beautician, and Plabita was our in-house tailor,” Kumra laughs and says. “I tried to capture the 15- year-old relationship I hold with my own beautician, since, much like our bond, Leela shares a unique friendship with each of the other characters.”
While the story is fresh and new, it did require the actors to shed numerous inhibitions — beyond “being bold” in front of a camera. “I am petrified of water,” shares Pathak Shah, “So Usha’s desire to swim, and her initial fear is fantastic for me. [But] if they had expected me to become a swimmer at the end, then I would have had to say no to the role!”
An entertaining package of diverse elements, as Gorthakur put it, the release of this feminist tale will attest to a small victory against the social and institutional censorship women face on a daily basis. Hopefully, LUMB
