Laapataa Ladies for Oscars 2025: Kiran Rao's social satire is India's official entry for the 97th Academy Awards

Laapataa Ladies is one of the sweetest and most heartwarming movies of 2024. Directed by Kiran Rao, the film stars Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Chhaya Kadam and Ravi Kishan. It was released in theatres on March 1, 2024 and received many positive reviews. The movie was produced by Aamir Khan Productions. Well, there's big news for all the Indians and cinema lovers. The social satire is India's official entry for the Oscars 2025! Yes, you read it right.

Kiran Rao returned to direction with Laapataa Ladies after 13 years and it was her second film after Dhobi Ghaat. Biplab Goswami penned the story for Kiran's movie. The movie was hailed for subtly calling out patriarchal society with humour and also giving some adorable and insightful moments. Along with the story, even Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, and Sparsh Shrivastava's performances received a remarkable response. The film is chosen to be nominated for the Best International Film Category at the 97th Academy Awards.

As reported by Hindustan Times, the Kiran Rao directorial was chosen as India's official entry for Oscars 2025 from the 29 Indian movies. Ranbir Kapoor's Animal was also on the list along with All We Imagine As Light, Kalki 2898 AD, Hanuman, and Article 370. The committee headed by Assamese director Jahnu Barua and others decided that Rao's movie will be sent in the Best International Film category for the Academy Awards.

When the movie was released in theatres, it didn't receive a great response when it came to its box office numbers. However, upon its release on Netflix, the Aamir Khan-produced movie was widely loved and appreciated. It even managed to beat Ranbir Kapoor's Animal in terms of views. Earlier, in an interview with HT, Kiran Rao revealed that she was really 'laapataa' in her career, looking for great stories. It was Aamir Khan who passed on the story to her, written by Biplab. Rao stated that the plot resonated deeply with her and she wants to explore the variety of situations women face, whether they're married or not.

Laapataa Ladies is the story of a newly married couple, Phool (Nitanshi) and Deepak (Sparsh). It is set in the early 2000s, when we lived in the times of no social media. On their way to Deepak's home, he loses Phool in the train and brings home some other bride, due to confusion caused by their faces covered with a lotus. It's a story of a man finding his missing wife while the women in the story discover their true selves.