Kiran Rao's directorial venture 'Laapataa Ladies' has made it to Oscars 2025 as India's official entry. At a recent event in Chennai, The Film Federation of India, the apex body responsible for selecting the country’s official entry to the 97th Academy Awards, announced Laapataa Ladies as India’s official entry. Directed by Kiran Rao and produced by Aamir Khan, the film features Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Srivastava, and Nitanshi Goel in key roles.
What Kiran Rao said about the film
As the Film Federation of India reviewed the films on the list for Oscars entry, Kiran Rao said to PTI, "My dream would be fulfilled if it was, if it would go (to Oscars). But it's a process, and I'm hoping it'll (Laapataa Ladies) be considered. I'm sure the best film will go, whoever they choose in the scheme of things."
Talking about the film being screened at the Supreme Court of India by CJI, Kiran said, "It’s the vision and foresight of our chief justice to screen a film like this for staff and for justices to start conversations on gender parity, gender equality, women’s empowerment. The fact that he watched the film and reached out to us, we couldn’t believe it. We were so grateful and excited."
"It really gave us a chance to take this film to a wider consciousness and audience because the Supreme Court and the chief justice himself have in some way endorsed the film or put their goodwill into promoting the film in their circle. It really made or did a lot for our film, even for audiences as they felt that, ‘wow, there’s merit in watching this film’. It really helped our film even get out further,” Kiran Rao further said as she was overwhelmed by the positive response that her film received.
Laapataa Ladies
'Laapataa Ladies' is a heartwarming and empowering story set in 2001, revolving around two rural Indian brides who accidentally swap places during a train journey. Produced by Kiran Rao's Kindling Productions and Aamir Khan Productions, the film received widespread critical acclaim upon its release in March. Featuring a talented cast including Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastav, Ravi Kishan, Chhaya Kadam, and Geeta Aggarwal Sharma, the film highlights themes of empowerment and resilience.