Oscars 2025: India Selects ‘Laapataa Ladies’ for Best International Feature Race

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As a long-time admirer of Indian cinema, I am thrilled to see Kiran Rao’s delightful comedy of errors, “Laapataa Ladies,” chosen to represent India in the 2025 Oscar race for Best International Feature. Having followed the career paths of many talented Indian filmmakers, I can confidently say that this selection is a step in the right direction towards acknowledging the richness and diversity of Indian cinema on the global stage.

In simple terms, the comedy “Laapataa Ladies” (or “Lost Ladies”), directed by Kiran Rao, has been chosen as India’s entry for the 2025 Oscars in the Best International Feature Film category.

Last year’s Toronto International Film Festival premiere of the Hindi-language film overtook Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine As Light,” which was previously favored for the Academy Award nomination. This shift occurred after the Hindi film received tremendous acclaim at Cannes, where it clinched the Grand Jury prize.

However, Rao’s movie has been well-received in the festival circuit due to its subtle satire. The story revolves around Jaya (Pratibha Ranta) and Phool (Nitanshi Goel), two newlywed brides whose faces are concealed by identical red wedding veils. They are traveling on the same Indian train to their respective weddings, but due to a mix-up, they end up at each other’s weddings instead. This mistake sets them on entirely different paths in life. Yash Raj Films acquired international distribution rights for the film, which debuted on Netflix India following its local cinema release.

In spite of a lengthy and prosperous film industry background, Indian movies have faced challenges in the Academy Awards competition. To date, only three Indian films have been nominated for the Best International Feature Film award; these nominations occurred decades apart: Mehboob Khan’s “Mother India” in 1957, Mira Nair’s “Salaam Bombay!” in 1988, and Ashutosh Gowariker’s “Lagaan” in 2001. However, S.S. Rajamouli’s Telugu-language action-adventure film “RRR,” which debuted on Netflix, did not compete for the Best International Feature Film but created history for India last year by winning the Oscar for Best Original Song.

The deadline for submissions for the 96th Oscars is Nov. 14. The shortlist for best international feature contenders will be announced Dec. 17. Nominations will be announced Jan. 17, 2025. The 2025 Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 2.

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2024-09-23 12:54