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Laapaaaa Ladies | Image:
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The Kiran Rao directorial Laapataa Ladies was selected as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature for the 97th Academy Awards. However, the movie failed to make it to the shortlist, which was unveiled on December 18, last year. However, several social media users have pointed out several striking similarities between the Bollywood movie and an Arabic movie.
Laapataa Ladies accused of plagiarism for the second time?
A video has been shared by an X user in which a scene from an Arabic film titled Burqa City has resemblance to the Bollywood movie. The caption read, “Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies, India’s official entry to the Oscars and projected as an original work, actually seems heavily inspired by a 2019 short film titled Burqa City.”
The caption further read, “Set in Middle East, the 19 min film follows a newlywed man whose wife gets exchanged due to identical burqas. He then embarks on a journey to find her. The satirical comedy highlights the absurdity of a society where women are treated as interchangeable objects rather than unique individuals, critiquing extreme patriarchy, gender-based restrictions, and the loss of identity.”
“Kiran Rao made Laapataa Ladies, with the same theme, replacing burqas with ghoonghats. The film carried the same message about patriarchy, societal norms, and women’s identity. Even the Ravi Kishan police station scene seems heavily inspired”, the caption concluded. For the unversed, Burqa City was released in 2019. Helmed by Fabrice Bracq, the film tells the story based in a city in the Middle East, where the full burqa is imposed on women, a young married couple gets into an argument. When everything seems to be resolved, however, the young man discovers he has come home with the wrong woman.
Earlier, there were reports of Laapataa Ladies being accused of copying from 1999 telefilm Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol, which aired on Doordarshan. The film was helmed by Anant Mahadevan.
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Netizens reaction to Laapataa Ladies plagiarism accusations
Producer and director Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies was one of those low-budget Indian films that created wonders. After a successful run in the theatres, the film broke several records on the OTT platform as well. Now the post has gone viral, the video has sparked debate among netizens.
One user wrote, “It’s intriguing that Laapataa Ladies has drawn comparisons to Burqa City given the striking similarities in themes and narrative structure. If Rao’s film indeed mirrors key aspects of Burqa City, it raises valid questions about originality and the fine line between inspiration and imitation. While it’s possible that Rao took inspiration from the short film, the core message about patriarchy, societal norms, and the loss of identity is universal and worth exploring. However, recognizing the source of inspiration is essential, especially when it comes to international recognition like the Oscars”. Another user wrote, “There is nothing Original about Bollywood anymore. All inspiration comes from wine-filled-movie-nights-parties. If you know, you know!”.
Directed by Kiran Rao and produced under the banners of Aamir Khan Productions, Kindling Pictures, and Jio Studios, the movie was released in theatres on March 1, 2024. It starred Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Ravi Kishan and Chhaya Kadam. Set against the backdrop of rural India, Laapataa Ladies revolves around the story of two young brides who get exchanged on a train.
