'Laapataa Ladies’ selected as India’s official Oscars 2025 entry, cast & crew reacts

Mumbai: Filmmaker Kiran Rao’s comedy drama “Laapataa Ladies” has been chosen and submitted as India's official entry in the Best Foreign Film Category for the Oscars 2025 by the Film Federation of India. 

The Oscars are set to be held in March 2025. The film was contending alongside 29 film including names such as “Animal”, “Kill”, “Kalki 2898 AD”, “Srikanth”, “Chandu Champion”, “Joram”, “Maidaan”, “Sam Bahadur”, “Article 370”, the Malayalam film “Aattam”, which was feted with the National Award for Best Feature Film this year and Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine As Light”, a Cannes winner.

Headed by Assamese director Jahnu Barua, a 13-member selection jury decided on “Laapataa Ladies”, starring Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Chhaya Kadam and Ravi Kishan.

“Laapataa Ladies” is produced by Rao, Aamir Khan, and Jyoti Deshpande.

Reaction of cast and crew

Sharing the news with fans, Kiran Rao posted a note thanking her crew members, actors, movie enthusiasts, and fans for helping the film make it to the Oscars list. Read her post:

Aamir Khan Productions also acknowledged the achievement, sharing a story on their social media pages that read, "Heartfelt thanks to the Film Federation of India selection committee for choosing our film Laapataa Ladies to represent India at the Oscars!"

Actor Sparsh Shrivastava, who plays the role of Deepak in "Laapataa Ladies," expressed his joy, saying, "It's an emotional moment for me and the entire team. I was busy with some discussions when I suddenly started receiving loads of congratulatory calls and messages. It feels surreal and magical. I was blown away."

Actress Pratibha Ranta, who portrays Jaya Tripathi Singh, or Pushpa Rani, in “Laapataa Ladies,” is thrilled about the film being submitted as India’s official entry to the 97th Academy Awards. She told IANS, “I trust that the selection will showcase the best films, and I’m really thankful for this opportunity. I can’t wait to see what comes next. As Indian films gain international acclaim, Laapataa Ladies stands out, weaving humour and heart into a story that resonates globally. There are strong chances of it making it to the final nominations, proving that our narratives can connect cultures beyond borders.”

Actor and politician Ravi Kishan, who plays a witty police inspector in "Laapataa Ladies," said, "I am very happy; I can't believe it. For the first time in my 34-year career, a film I worked on is going to the Oscars."

More details about the movie

“Laapataa Ladies” is all set to release in Japan on October 4 and the filmmaker had said that she is an admirer of Japanese cinema and this feels like a full-circle moment.

Kiran said: “I’m thrilled that ‘Laapataa Ladies’ is releasing in Japan. As an admirer of Japanese cinema, this feels like a full-circle moment. I hope the film’s emotional core will resonate with Japanese audiences just as it did with ours.”

“Laapataa Ladies” premiered in March 2024 in India and captivated audiences for over 100 days in theaters and then continued to earn love and appreciation from audiences on OTT.

The film is a slice-of-life comedy about the misadventures of two young brides who become separated on the same train but with different grooms. It is a blend of mistaken identities and laugh-out-loud escapades.

The film has been made under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions and Kindling Productions, with the script based on an award-winning story by Biplab Goswami. The screenplay & dialogues are written by Sneha Desai, with additional dialogues penned by Divyanidhi Sharma.

(with agency inputs)