First the Censor Board. Then the Government. She Didn't Cut a Single Scene | Alankrita Shrivastava

Alankrita Shrivastava — the writer, director, and creator behind Lipstick Under My Burkha, Bombay Begums, and Made in Heaven — sits down with Gaurav Arora on xMonks Drive for one of her most in-depth conversations ever.Alankrita Shrivastava is one of India's most fearless and acclaimed filmmakers. Her debut film Lipstick Under My Burkha was banned by the CBFC censor board before fighting its way to a theatrical release and winning awards at over 80 international film festivals including Tokyo International Film Festival and Créteil International Women's Film Festival. Her Netflix series Bombay Begums, which she created, wrote, and directed, was targeted by the NCPCR. Her Amazon Prime Video series Made in Heaven, co-created with Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, received an International Emmy nomination.In this episode, Alankrita Shrivastava opens up about the real story behind Lipstick Under My Burkha, what it felt like when the censor board called her film obscene and refused certification, and how she fought to get it released in India. She talks about working with Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti in the Made in Heaven writers room, why she cast Pooja Bhatt in Bombay Begums, and why Konkona Sen Sharma is the only actor she would make every film with for the rest of her life. She also speaks candidly about the challenges facing women directors in Indian cinema, why only 6% of Indian films are directed by women, what OTT platforms like Netflix India are afraid of, and why Bollywood's business model is structurally rigged against independent filmmakers and women's stories.Alankrita also reflects on her years as assistant director under Prakash Jha on films like Raajneeti, Gangaajal, and Apaharan, the personal challenges she faced during the release of Lipstick Under My Burkha, her upcoming film on Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch and the circumstances of her death, and what she wants every woman watching her films to feel.This is an unmissable conversation about Indian cinema, women's stories, creative freedom, censorship in India, OTT platforms, Bollywood, filmmaking, and the fight to tell the stories that matter.Timestamps00:00 Lipstick Trailer Impact00:23 Creative Room Debates01:24 Censorship Release Battle05:19 Personal Loss And Faith06:00 First Big Set Experience07:40 Tough Love Mentorship08:56 Writing Turning 3012:16 Director Versus Actor14:48 Female Gaze Origins18:54 Made In Heaven Writers Room22:35 Women Behind Camera Gap23:18 Casting Pooja Bhatt25:14 Showrunner Stress Points26:51 Films vs Series Space27:23 OTT Boom for Actors28:11 Prithvi Theatre Struggle Days30:14 Why Konkona Works32:20 Pappu Character Spotlight34:09 Laapataa Ladies35:14 Theatrical vs Streaming Debate38:36 Staying True to Craft41:01 Writing Complex Women43:48 Themes Agency and Class45:09 What Keeps Her Going49:52 Impact on Small Town Girls52:01 Advice for New Filmmakers54:15 Closing Thanks Topics covered: Lipstick Under My Burkha | Bombay Begums | Made in Heaven | Zoya Akhtar | Reema Kagti | Konkona Sen Sharma | Pooja Bhatt | Prakash Jha | Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare | Kiran Rao | Laapataa Ladies | CBFC censor board India | Netflix India | Amazon Prime Video India | women directors India | feminist filmmaking | Indian independent cinema | OTT platforms India | Bollywood filmmaking | Qandeel Baloch | NCPCR | International Emmy India | Tokyo Film Festival | female gaze | women in Bollywood | Indian web series | best Indian films | Indian female director | women empowerment India | bold Indian storytelling | Indian podcast | Hindi cinema | streaming wars India | creative freedom India | xMonks Drive | Gaurav Arora🔗 Connect with us:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gauravaroragrvInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspirewithgrvSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vdhTjZlhltIt4e9YiBgMF?si=92853a15e3584866Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-xmonks-drive/id1549886334Website: https://xmonks.com