Laapataa Ladies

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Laapataa Ladies
File:Laapataa Ladies poster.jpg


Theatrical release poster

Directed by Kiran Rao


Produced by Template:Plainlist
Starring Template:Plainlist
Cinematography Vikash Nowlakha
Edited by Jabeen Merchant
Music by Ram Sampath





Country India
Language Hindi
Budget Template:Estimation Template:INR[1]


Laapataa Ladies, released internationally as Lost Ladies,[2] is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Kiran Rao,[3] and produced by Rao, Aamir Khan, and Jyoti Deshpande.[4] It stars Sparsh Shrivastava, Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Chhaya Kadam and Ravi Kishan, and tells the story of two young newly-wed brides who get exchanged during a train ride to their husband's homes.[5]

The film was screened at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2023,[6] and was theatrically released on 1 March 2024.[7] The film received critical acclaim and was praised for its story, screenplay and cast performances.[8][9]

It won Best Film (Critics' Choice) at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.[10] The film was selected as the Indian entry for the Best International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[11][12] The selection of entry raised concerns and controversy over the film instead of All We Imagine as Light.[13] At the 70th Filmfare Awards, Laapataa Ladies received a record-breaking 24 nominations and won 13 awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Female Debut (Goel).[14]

Plot

In 2001, in the fictional Nirmal Pradesh, Deepak, a farmer, is travelling back to his village with his new bride, Phool Kumari. They get into a crowded passenger train along with many other newlywed couples. The brides all wear the same-coloured bridal attire with their faces completely covered with a ghoonghat (veil), as is the tradition. Deepak dozes off and wakes up in the night to realise that he has arrived at his destination. In the darkness and confusion from the rush to leave, he disembarks with the wrong bride and Phool is left behind on the train with the other groom, Pradeep.

The couple is welcomed by his family only to be shocked when they realise it is the wrong bride. She gives them a false name Pushpa and lies about where she is from. Meanwhile, at a different station, Phool realises the mixup but the station master is unable to help her due to her not knowing the name of Deepak's village. She also refuses to go back home, not wanting to bring shame to her family. She decides to stay at the station in case Deepak comes looking, and is helped by Manju Mai, who runs a tea stall on the platform.

Deepak, frantically looking for Phool, files a report with SI Shyam Manohar. Manohar surmises that Pushpa may be a thief. He follows her and sees her sell jewellery, use a mobile phone, and buy bus tickets. Pushpa becomes friendly with Deepak's family. Phool meanwhile works at the tea stand, helping Manju Mai, makes kalakand and learns to be independent.

Thinking that Pushpa belongs to a gang of thieves, Manohar arrests her when he learns that her real name is Jaya. Jaya reveals that she wanted to do a course on organic farming in Dehradun, but was forcefully married off to Pradeep by her family, and also that Pradeep was abusive towards her so she does not want to return.

Pradeep arrives at the police station for Jaya. He slaps her in front of the cops and threatens to recover the full dowry from her mother. Manohar states that his actions constitute an offence, and since Jaya is an adult, she cannot be forced to go with anyone. He frees Jaya, warning Pradeep that if he ever lays his hands on Jaya, he would arrest him for domestic violence and also for burning his previous wife to death.

Jaya had asked Deepak's sister-in-law Poonam to make a sketch of Phool and had made posters out of it, sticking them around public places mentioning that she is lost, along with contact details in case she is found. With the help of this, Phool is finally able to find her way back and reunite with Deepak, while Jaya leaves for Dehradun to pursue her education.

Cast

Template:Div col

  • Sparsh Shrivastava as Deepak Kumar
  • Nitanshi Goel as Phool Kumari, Deepak's wife
  • Pratibha Ranta as Jaya Tripathi Singh / Pushpa Rani
  • Chhaya Kadam as Manju
  • Ravi Kishan as Sub-Inspector Shyam Manohar
  • Geeta Agarwal Sharma as Yashoda, Deepak's mother
  • Satendra Soni as Chhotu, works at tea stall
  • Abeer Jain as Bablu, Deepak's nephew, Poonam's son
  • Bhaskar Jha as Pradeep Singh, Jaya's abusive husband
  • Daood Hussain as Gunjan, Deepak's friend, Jaya's admirer
  • Durgesh Kumar as Constable Dubey
  • Pankaj Sharma as Deepak's father
  • Kanupriya Rishimum as Constable Bela
  • Sanjay Dogra as Murti
  • Shad Mohamad as Hanif
  • Ravi Kapadiya as Abdul
  • Vivek Sawrikar as Station Master
  • Rachna Gupta as Poonam, Deepak's sister-in-law, Bablu's mother
  • Pranjal Pateriya as Raghu
  • Samarth Mayor as Bilas
  • Abhay Dubey as Prisoner

Template:Div col end

Production

This is Kiran Rao's second directorial venture after Dhobi Ghat (2010). The film's co-producer Aamir Khan discovered the story Two Brides, by Biplab Goswami, at a script writing competition in 2018.[15][16] The film was shot on location in Bamuliya and Dhamankheda (Dhankhedi) villages in the Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh. Local villagers were cast as secondary characters and the film was shot in actual houses in the area.[17]

Soundtrack

Template:Main

The music of the film was composed by Ram Sampath to lyrics written by Divyanidhi Sharma, Prashant Pandey and Swanand Kirkire.[18]

Release

Laapataa Ladies was released in theatres on 1 March 2024.[19] Yash Raj Films acquired global distribution rights for the film.

Home media

Laapataa Ladies premiered on Netflix on 26 April 2024.[20]

Reception

Template:Rotten Tomatoes prose

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and stated that Kiran Rao returns to the director's seat "with a work that strikes the right notes. She does away with marquee names in Laapataa Ladies... and employs three first-timers in a lively tale of two brides caught in a terrible mix-up."[21]

Bollywood Hungama rated the film 3/5 stars, writing, "Laapataa Ladies works due to the amusing plot, performances, underlying message and some memorable funny and emotional scenes."[22] Catherine Bray of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and stated, "If you can get with the larky premise, Kiran Rao’s tale of mixed-up newlyweds makes for a gently probing comedy of manners."[23]

In a review for The Indian Express, Shubhra Gupta rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Kiran Rao's film is unapologetically message-y, but its strongly beating feminist heart overrides the broad brush strokes. Sometimes things need to be stated loud and clear."[24]

Rishil Jogani of Pinkvilla rated the film 4/5 and opined that Laapataa Ladies "is funny, witty, quirky, entertaining and empowering. It is an extremely important film that utilises the power of cinema in the right way".[25]

Tushar Joshi of India Today rated 4/5 and said in his review that "Laapataa Ladies is a terrific watch simply because it is put together so well. The length might be a slight issue, but if you invest your heart into this tale of two women gone missing, then you will be in for a treat."[26]

Box office

On its first day, the film earned Net of Template:INR, followed by Template:INR on the second day and Template:INR on the third day, a first weekend total of Template:INR. As of 2 May 2024, the film has a gross of Template:INR in India and a worldwide gross of Template:INR.[27]

Controversy

Plagiarism allegations

Since the release of the film, there was a claim by Indian filmmaker Anant Mahadevan that a few scenes in Laapataa Ladies were similar to his 1999 telefilm Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol.[28][29][30] The writer of Laapataa Ladies, Biplab Goswami, refuted these claims and stated that "My story, script, dialogues, characterisation and scenes are all 100 per cent original".[28]

In March 2025, the film drew scrutiny when social media users noticed notable parallels with the 2019 Arabic short film Burqa City, directed by French filmmaker Fabrice Bracq. Both films center around a veiled bride mistakenly swapped and the husband’s frantic search. Bracq publicly expressed surprise and concern about the overlaps and similarities, prompting disappointment that Kiran Rao’s film had adopted such striking narrative elements.[31][32][33]

In response, Laapataa Ladies writer Biplab Goswami strongly refuted the claims, describing them as “completely untrue” and “baseless”.[34] He emphasized that he had registered a detailed synopsis titled Two Brides with the Screenwriters Association on July 3, 2014, containing key scenes (the bride swap revealed by the groom, the police photo scene, and so on) well before Burqa City existed. Plus, the full screenplay was registered in June 2018 and went on to win the runner-up prize at the Cinestaan Storytellers Competition (A Global Search for Indian Scriptwriters) in 2018. After such a strong statement from Biplab Goswami with adequate proof, these allegations died down.[35][36][37]

Accolades

Year Award Category Nominee/Work Result Ref.
2024 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Best Film (Critics' Choice) Laapataa Ladies Template:Won [38]
Best Director (Critics' Choice) Kiran Rao Template:Nom [39][40]
Best Actress Nitanshi Goel Template:Nom
Pratibha Ranta Template:Nom
Best Actor Sparsh Shrivastav Template:Nom
2025 48th Japan Academy Film Prize Outstanding Foreign Language Film Laapataa Ladies Template:Nom
2025 25th IIFA Awards Best Film Laapataa Ladies Template:Won [41][42]
Best Director Kiran Rao Template:Won
Best Actor Sparsh Shrivastava Template:Nom
Best Actress Nitanshi Goel Template:Won
Best Supporting Actor Ravi Kishan Template:Won
Best Supporting Actress Chhaya Kadam Template:Nom
Star Debut of the Year – Female Pratibha Ranta Template:Won
Best Music Director Ram Sampath Template:Won
Best Lyricist Prashant Pandey Template:Small Template:Won
Best Male Playback Singer Arijit Singh Template:Small Template:Nom
Best Female Playback Singer Shreya Ghoshal Template:Small Template:Nom
Best Story (Original) Biplab Goswami Template:Won
Best Screenplay Sneha Desai Template:Won
Best Editing Jabeen Merchant Template:Won
2025 70th Filmfare Awards Best Film Laapataa Ladies Template:Won [14]
Best Director Kiran Rao Template:Won
Best Supporting Actor Ravi Kishan Template:Won
Best Supporting Actress Chhaya Kadam Template:Won
Best Male Debut Sparsh Shrivastava Template:Nom
Best Female Debut Nitanshi Goel Template:Won
Pratibha Ranta Template:Nom
Critics Best Film Kiran Rao Template:Nom
Critics Best Actor Sparsh Shrivastava Template:Nom
Critics Best Actress Nitanshi Goel Template:Nom
Pratibha Ranta Template:Won
Best Screenplay Sneha Desai Template:Won
Best Dialogue Template:Won
Best Music Director Ram Sampath Template:Won
Best Lyricist Prashant Pandey Template:Won
Swanand Kirkire Template:Nom
Best Male Playback Singer Arijit Singh Template:Won
Best Female Playback Singer Shreya Ghoshal Template:Nom
Best Editing Jabeen Merchant Template:Nom
Best Art Direction Vikram Singh Template:Nom
Best Cinematography Vikash Nowlakha Template:Nom
Best Sound Design Ayush Ahuja Template:Nom
Best Background Score Ram Sampath Template:Won
Best Costume Design Darshan Jalan Template:Won

See also

References

  1. ↑ Laapataa Ladies Box Office Collection Day 7. abplive(2024-03-07). Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  2. ↑ Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao change title of Laapataa Ladies to Lost Ladies for Oscars 2025 campaign : Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama, Hungama, Bollywood. Bollywood Hungama(2024-11-13). Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  3. ↑ Laapataa Ladies teaser: Kiran Rao, Aamir Khan promise an lethargic, thought-less film on the subject of 'missing' wives. The Indian Express(8 September 2023). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  4. ↑ Laapataa Ladies teaser: Kiran Rao returns to direction 13 years after Dhobi Ghat with a tale of lost brides. Watch. Hindustan Times(8 September 2023). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  5. ↑ Director Kiran Rao attends 'Laapataa Ladies' screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Times of India(9 September 2023). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named TIFF
  7. ↑ Laapataa Ladies trailer: Kiran Rao directorial slowly and surely lifts the veil on its comedy of errors Watch. Hindustan Times(24 January 2024). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  8. ↑ Laapataa Ladies: A fantasy by those who have never lived in a village. Indian Express(7 May 2024). Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  9. ↑ Laapataa Ladies Review: ఆమిర్ ఖాన్ నిర్మించిన ఈ సెటైరికల్ కామెడీ మూవీ ఆకట్టుకునేలా ఉందా? లాపతా లేడీస్ రివ్యూ. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  10. ↑ IFFM 2024 full winners' list. India Today(2024-08-16). Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  11. ↑ Laapataa Ladies is India's official entry to Oscars 2025; trumps Animal, Aattam and All We Imagine As Light. The Indian Express(23 September 2024). Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  12. ↑ Oscars: India Selects 'Laapataa Ladies' For Best International Feature Film Race, Goodfellow, Melanie. Deadline(23 September 2024). Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  13. ↑ Netizens angry with FFI; hail 'All We Imagine as Light' missed Oscar opportunity, Web, Statesman. The Statesman(2024-12-18). Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Nominations for The 70th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2025 With Gujarat Tourism: Full List Out. Filmfare(26 September 2025).
  15. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named hindu
  16. ↑ Aamir found the script for 'Laapata Ladies': Kiran Rao. Deccan Herald(17 February 2024).
  17. ↑ Did you know Kiran Rao cast the villagers from Sehore for the shoot of Laapataa Ladies?. First Post(31 January 2024). Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  18. ↑ Laapataa Ladies (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). JioSaavn(13 February 2024). Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  19. ↑ Laapataa Ladies. Pinkvilla(2024-03-01). Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  20. ↑ Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies: OTT Release Details. Deccan Chronicle(2024-03-13). Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  21. ↑ Laapataa Ladies Review: Emotionally Engaging Film Laced With Doses Of Wry Humour, Chatterjee, Saibal. NDTV(1 March 2024). Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  22. ↑ Laapataa Ladies Movie Review. Bollywood Hungama(28 February 2024). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  23. ↑ Laapataa Ladies review – Shakespearean carry-on in Indian arranged-marriage comedy, Bray, Catherine. The Guardian(1 March 2024). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  24. ↑ Laapataa Ladies movie review, Gupta, Shubhra. The Indian Express(2024-03-01). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  25. ↑ Laapataa Ladies review. Pinkvilla(2024-02-29). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  26. ↑ 'Laapataa Ladies' review: Kiran Rao's comeback is a terrific watch, Joshi, Tushar. India Today(2024-03-01). Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  27. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bo
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Ananth Mahadevan on Laapataa Ladies: Mix-up in train and station straight from my film. Mid-day(2024-05-10). Retrieved 2025-07-11.
  29. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
  30. ↑ "Nobody Will Accept They Have Copied": Ananth Mahadevan On Laapataa Ladies Plagiarism Row. NDTV. Retrieved 2025-07-11.
  31. ↑ 'Burqa City' director 'shocked' by resemblance to 'Laapataa Ladies', seeks clarification from filmmakers. The Hindu(2025-04-06). Retrieved 2025-07-11.
  32. ↑ 'Burqa City' director is 'shocked' and 'surprised' by similarities with 'Laapataa Ladies': Many aspects of my short were present. The Times of India(2025-04-07). Retrieved 2025-07-11.
  33. ↑ Plagiarism controversy: 'Burqa City' director responds to similarities with 'Laapataa Ladies', Pavithran, Compiled by Lekshmy. Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema(2025-04-06). Retrieved 2025-07-11.
  34. ↑ Instagram. www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2025-07-11.
  35. ↑ 'Laapataa Ladies' not inspired by 'Burqa City', says writer Biplab Goswami. ‘Laapataa Ladies’ not inspired by 'Burqa City', says writer Biplab Goswami. Retrieved 2025-07-11.
  36. ↑ Laapataa Ladies writer Biplab Goswami claims Kiran Rao directorial is '100 per cent original'. Mid-day(2025-04-06). Retrieved 2025-07-11.
  37. ↑ Laapata Ladies writer Biplab Goswami denies plagiarism, says 'our story, characters, are 100 pc original'. The Economic Times(2025-04-05). Retrieved 2025-07-11.
  38. ↑ Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2024 full winners list. Hindustan Times(17 August 2024). Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  39. ↑ Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2024 nominations out. The Times of India(2024-07-10). Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  40. ↑ Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2024: Dates and list of nominations for the 15th edition. CNBC TV18(2024-07-23). Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  41. ↑ IIFA Awards 2025: Date, time, host, venue, nominees list and more, Awasthi, Pragati. Wion(2025-03-07). Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  42. ↑ IIFA Awards 2025: Laapataa Ladies Sweeps 10 Awards. Kartik Aaryan Named Best Actor. Check Full List Of Winners. www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 2025-03-11.

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