Laapataa Ladies Actor Chhaya Kadam Says She Is 'Feeling Bad' For 'All We Imagine As Light' Not Being Selected For Oscars 2025

Actor Chhaya Kadam, who played Manju Maai in 'Laapataa Ladies', has mixed feelings as her other film ‘All We Imagine As Light’ was not selected for the 2025 Oscars.

Actor Chhaya Kadam has reacted to Kiran Rao's film 'Laapataa Ladies', being chosen as India's official submission for the 2025 Oscars.

Source : Instagram/@chhaya.kadam.75

Actor Chhaya Kadam has reacted to Kiran Rao's film 'Laapataa Ladies', being chosen as India's official submission for the 2025 Oscars. Chhaya, who played Manju Maai in the film, has mixed feelings as her other film ‘All We Imagine As Light’ was not selected. In a recent interview, the actor expressed her excitement for Laapataa Ladies but admitted to feeling disappointed that Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light wasn't selected. 

Chhaya Kadam excited for 'Laapataa Ladies'

Sharing her joy about Laapataa Ladies being India’s entry, Chhaya said, “I am very happy and excited. What more can I say? It is a moment of pride for me that our film, Laapataa Ladies, got selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars. On the other hand, my other film, All We Imagine As Light, was also shortlisted by France as a potential submission for the Oscars 2025. I have come to Paris right now for the premiere.” 

Chhaya Kadam feels bad for All We Imagine As Light

Addressing the reactions online about 'All We Imagine As Light' not making the cut, Chhaya added, "I am happy for Laapataa Ladies, but at the same time I am feeling a little bad for Payal’s film as well. Now this decision has been taken by the biggies at Film Federation so I have no say in it. I would have loved to see both the films at Oscars", she said. 

Laapataa Ladies India's entry for Oscars 2025

On Monday, the Film Federation of India announced that Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies would represent the country at the 2025 Oscars. Since the announcement, the news has sparked debates on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), with many film enthusiasts disappointed that All We Imagine As Light wasn’t selected. 

'Laapataa Ladies', a satirical take on patriarchy, was picked from a pool of 29 contenders, which included high-profile films like Ranbir Kapoor's Animal, the Malayalam National Award-winning Aattam, and Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light, which won big at Cannes. The latter had a strong following, with several people expecting it to be India’s official entry.