27 May 2026

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

The xMonks Drive

About

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.

Timestamps

00:00 Lipstick Trailer Impact

00:23 Creative Room Debates

01:24 Censorship Release Battle

05:19 Personal Loss And Faith

06:00 First Big Set Experience

07:40 Tough Love Mentorship

08:56 Writing Turning 30

12:16 Director Versus Actor

14:48 Female Gaze Origins

18:54 Made In Heaven Writers Room

22:35 Women Behind Camera Gap

23:18 Casting Pooja Bhatt

25:14 Showrunner Stress Points

26:51 Films vs Series Space

27:23 OTT Boom for Actors

28:11 Prithvi Theatre Struggle Days

30:14 Why Konkona Works

32:20 Pappu Character Spotlight

34:09 Laapataa Ladies

35:14 Theatrical vs Streaming Debate

38:36 Staying True to Craft

41:01 Writing Complex Women

43:48 Themes Agency and Class

45:09 What Keeps Her Going

49:52 Impact on Small Town Girls

52:01 Advice for New Filmmakers

54:15 Closing Thanks

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