Our Stories Are Resonating: Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies Is Heading To Oscars 2025

Kiran Rao's film Laapataa Ladies has been chosen as India’s official entry for the Oscars 2025, as announced by the Film Federation of India on September 23. This Hindi film, a light-hearted satire on patriarchy, was selected from a competitive list of 29 films.

The decision was made by a 13-member committee led by Assamese director Jahnu Barua, who unanimously endorsed Laapataa Ladies for consideration in the Best International Film category at the Academy Awards.

Other films in contention included Tamil film Maharaja, Telugu titles Kalki 2898 AD and Hanu-Man, as well as Hindi films Swatantraya Veer Savarkar and Article 370, and Cannes winner All We Imagine As Light. 

About Laapata Ladies

Directed by Kiran Rao, written by Sneha Desai and Divyanidhi Sharma and produced by Rao, Aamir Khan, and Jyoti Deshpande, Laapataa Ladies features an ensemble cast including Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan.

Earlier this year, Rao had shared her thoughts on the Oscars nomination during the premiere of Laapataa Ladies, in Delhi. She said, "The appreciation from audiences is our first award. I’m uncertain about the submission for the Oscars, as there's a committee that selects the best films from our country. Only those films that truly stand out get chosen, and if we are selected, we'll consider how to approach the campaigning and everything else."

Talking about what worked for Laapataa Ladies, Kiran said to SheThePeople, "We are half the audience, and we want to see ourselves on screen, so we have been waiting. I believe the world has opened up to us in the past five to 10 years in what we watch and experience. We’ve been searching for interesting women with interesting stories of their own that distinguish them from the masses, rather than the idealised versions that still dominate. I think that approach has resonated."

The film premiered at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 8, 2023, and was theatrically released on March 1, 2024. Additionally, it was released on OTT on April 26, 2024.