I got angry when I watched 'Lipstick Under My Burkha': Ekta

Agencies
July 4, 2017

New Delhi, Jul 4: Producer Ekta Kapoor has said she came up with a "sassy promo" for "Lipstick Under My Burkha" as she wanted the film to reach out to wider audiences rather than being confined to the art film zone.Ekta

The movie hit a roadblock with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) soon after Ekta came onboard as a distributor but it only strengthened her desire to take the movie to the masses.

"The film made me angry. I saw the film and realised we really live in a world where as women we are not allowed to do or say anything. Here was this entertaining movie that spoke about what I think. Why didn't I think of it? I loved it," Ekta, 42, told PTI in an interview.

She came onboard the project when it had already hit a roadblock. Jha called her to watch the film and asked whether she would like to distribute and she immediately agreed.

"I decided to distribute this movie knowing that I might not earn profits. Then I was hoping we would get a certificate and that's when it landed into a soup with the censor board."

The board was criticised for being regressive by refusing certification to 'Lipstick...' as the film was "lady-oriented".

The makers approached the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), which directed the CBFC to certify the film with few cuts.

After the film was cleared for release, Ekta's team came up with an edgy poster of the film, which depicts a woman showing her middle finger.

"I thought, will this be an 'artie' movie that 200 people will watch or a film where I'll get more and more women to see it? So, we got a sassy promo out, edgy as hell with great Hindi 'masala' music and have more women pay attention to it. I felt this was the way to go forward."

As someone who has produced shows on TV before venturing into cinema, Ekta understands the duality of the audiences in India.

"'Hamare khaane ke daant aur, dikhane ke daant aur hain'. What I say in front of my parents, I won't repeat the same with my friends. And we are okay with it.

"This is our society, this is how we've been brought up. But it doesn't mean I don't like discussing such topics. It means I will take up these issues in a different medium at the right time."

Ekta said lipstick, as a symbol, had less to do with vanity and more to do with freedom of choice.

"When you wear lipstick for vanity, it makes you look good. A lot of women say they wear lipstick when they want to feel good. I read somewhere 'there is nothing that a right shade of lipstick can't fix'. So many acts by us are a form of rebellion."

Spilling details about the first scene of the film, Ekta said one of the characters goes to a shop and steals a lipstick. "For me, that scene translates into a choice that she was not allowed to make. So she had to steal away that one thing."

Directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, "Lipstick..." has a stellar cast in Ratna Pathak Shah, Konkona Sensharma, Aahana Kumra, Plabita Borthakur, Sushant Singh and Vikrant Massey. The film releases on July 28.

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Agencies
January 6,2020

Kochi, Jan 6: A trial court on Monday framed charges against Malayalam film actor Dileep and other accused in the case of alleged abduction and molestation of a south Indian actress in 2017.

The actor and nine other accused were present in the additional special sessions court in Ernakulamwhen the charges were framed against them.

All of them have denied the charges.

On Saturday, the Court had dismissed a plea filed by Dileep, seeking to exclude him from the list of accused.

The Court had admitted the prosecution argument that there is prima facie evidence against him in the crime and dismissed the plea of the actor, who is eighth accused in the case.

The court had also not allowed a plea by the actor to grant him 10 days time to file the appeal in a higher court in the light of the Supreme Court order in November 2019 that the trial should be completed in six months.

The court is hearing the case in-camera.

On December 19, Dileep, along with his lawyers and a technical expert, had examined the contents of the electronic records at the closed room of the court.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed that the actor be allowed to inspect the records to enable him to present an effective defence during the trial.

In February 2017, the actress was allegedly abducted and molested by the accused.

Seven people, including the key accused 'Pulsar' Suni were arrested in connection with the actress' abduction case.

There are 10 accused in the case.

The entire act had allegedly taken place in a moving vehicle, which was filmed by the accused to blackmail her.

Dileep was subsequently arrested and arrayed as an accused in connection with offences under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and IT Act.

The top court had directed that the trial in case be concluded expeditiously, preferably within six months from the date of the judgement.

A woman judge is hearing the case.

In February 2019, the High Court, while considering a plea seeking to transfer the case to a Sessions Court headed by a woman judge to conduct the trial, had ordered the CBI special court Judge-III Ernakulam Honey M Varghese to complete the trial expeditiously.

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News Network
March 23,2020

Washington, Mar 23: Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, US media reported Sunday.

Harvey Weinstein, 68, is in prison in northern New York state after being sentenced to 23 years in jail for rape and sexual assault.

The fallen film producer's diagnosis was first reported Sunday evening by local paper the Niagara Gazette.

Harvey Weinstein's spokespeople have declined to comment to US media on the subject.

The New York state Department of Corrections did not respond when contacted by AFP for confirmation of the reports.

Harvey Weinstein was transferred Wednesday to a prison near Buffalo, 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of New York City.

Prior to his transfer, he stayed at Rikers Island prison and a Manhattan hospital, where he was treated for chest pains.

Crowded US prisons have the potential to become hotbeds for coronavirus infections. Last week, guards at Rikers and New York's Sing Sing prison tested positive for the virus, local media reported.

As of Sunday, the virus has killed 417 people in the US out of more than 33,000 cases, according to a tracker managed by Johns Hopkins University.

Harvey Weinstein was convicted in February of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree, while being cleared of predatory sexual assault charges.

He was convicted of raping ex-actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and of forcibly performing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006.

Nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, have leveled sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein, the Oscar-winning producer of "Shakespeare in Love" and numerous other critical and box office hits.

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News Network
May 30,2020

Mumbai, May 30: Actor Vaani Kapoor on Saturday said she will go on a virtual date with five people as part of an initiative to raise money for daily wage earners, who have been affected due to the nationwide lockdown implemented to rein in coronavirus.

Vaani has teamed up with actor Arjun Kapoor's sister Anshula Kapoor’s online fundraising platform, Fankind, to raise funds for daily wage workers.

Vaani and Fankind have come together to provide five of her fans a chance to go on a virtual date with her - by donating to provide food to daily wage workers.

“As human beings, we will need to come forward and support as many people as possible in need due to the coronavirus pandemic in our country. I’m doing my bit to support the daily wage earners of our country and their families who are in dire situations given the lockdown.

“My activity, in which five lucky winners can have a virtual date with me, will see us collect funds to help feed them and their families across the country," Vaani said in a statement.

Earlier, Arjun too supported the initiative to help daily wage earners.

According to the press release, the funds will go to GiveIndia, a non-profit organisation, which will provide hot cooked meals to wage earners and their families. Each meal costs Rs 30 and will be delivered in various areas of Maharashtra, Bangalore, and Chennai.

A.T.E. Chandra Foundation has also come on board and will be adding 25 percent of the total donation value collected as a matching amount, thereby multiplying the impact, the release said.

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