Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies is now officially India’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. The achievement for this light-hearted comedy movie with a powerful message comes as a proud moment for Indian cinema.
To reach a larger international audience, the makers have changed the title from 'Laapataa Ladies' to 'Lost Ladies' to effectively and efficiently communicate to non-Hindi speakers.
Nitanshi Goel who played the lead role in the movie shared a new poster with a new title showing the transformative journey of the main character. While sharing the post, Goel wrote, “Presenting the official poster for Lost Ladies—a glimpse into the wild, heartfelt journey of Phool and Jaya!”
A competitive selection process
Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua led the selection committee and considered over 29 movies from different parts of the country, which includes 12 Hindi, six Tamil, and four Malayalam films. There were some noteworthy movies in the race for Academy Awards such as Animal, Kalki 2898 AD, Aattam (that won a national award for best feature film), and All We Imagine As Light, which received international acclaim at Cannes. After considering all the contenders, Lost Ladies was finally chosen as the official entry for the Academy Awards with Barua noting that the movie offers unique appeal and universal story.
Director Kiran Rao expressed deep gratitude reflecting recognition of her movie, “I am deeply honoured and delighted that Laapataa Ladies has been chosen as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards. Cinema has always been a powerful medium to connect hearts, transcend boundaries, and ignite meaningful conversations. I hope that this film will resonate with audiences across the world, just as it has in India,”
Lost Ladies Plot
The plot of Lost Ladies was set in the year 2001 following two newlywed brides, Phool and Java, whose lives turn around after mixing up on a crowded train. Jaya who accidentally landed at the home of Phool's husband finds a chance to escape her abusive past. On the other end, Phool was left stranded and embarked on a journey of self-discovery.
The movie cast includes Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, and Chhaya Kadam with a memorable cameo of Ravi Kishan. The movie was officially released in theatres on March 1 and it received critical acclaim and garnered a strong following through word-of-mouth.
According to the official entry, Lost Ladies carries Indian cinema's home of shining on the global stage.
More about the film
The movie had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival taking viewers back to rural India in 2001. The movie full of twists and turns is based on the story of Biplab Goswami. The movie's screenplay and dialogues are written by Sneha Desai and the additional dialogues are written by Divyanidhi Sharma. The 97th Oscars will take place on March 2, next year.