Mumbai: Kiran Rao's film 'Lapatta Ladies' will be sent as India's official entry to the upcoming 97th Academy Awards. The film has been selected by the Indian Film Federation of India from 29 films including 'Animal', 'Kalki 2898 AD', 'Chandu Champion', 'Article 370'.
A few days ago, Kiran Rao had said that it is my dream to see 'Lapatta Ladies' reach the Oscar stage.
Actresses Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goyal and Sparsh Srivastava of this Aamir Khan production are also happy with this news. They shared a video of them singing the hit song 'Sajni Re' from Arijit Singh's film live in Manchester and congratulated each other.
This is Aamir Khan's third film that is reaching the Oscar nomination. Earlier, his 'Lagaan' and 'Taare Zameen Par' were also included in the Oscar competition.
Announcing the film's selection, the Film Federation of India said that Indian women can be submissive as well as rebellious. The film shows a strange combination of both these qualities in a light-hearted manner.
It is worth noting that Kiran Rao last directed the film 'Dhobi Ghat' in 2011. After 13 years, Kiran Rao directed 'Lapatta Ladies'. At the same time, many people commented that due to Kiran staying away from direction for so many years, Indian cinema has lost some great work.
The film, based on the events following the swapping of two brides on a train, parallels the original story of how the women explore the inner aspects of their personalities.
The Oscars will be held next March. However, first the film must overcome several hurdles, including being shortlisted and being nominated in the final round.
The omission of All We Imagine As Light has left cine-goers fuming
Many die-hard Indian cinephiles did not like the selection of 'Lapatta Ladies' as the official Oscars entry. According to them, Payal Kapadia's film 'All We Imagine As Light', which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, would have been a better choice from India for the Oscars. Some fans have commented that 'Lapatta Ladies' is not a good film but it cannot be compared to 'All We Imagine As Light'. Some fans wrote that the Indian government itself has filed a case against Payal Kapadia for agitating at the Film and Television Institute of Pune. Under these circumstances, it is understandable that her film was removed from India's official entry bid. Some fans wondered why the Malayalam film 'Attam', which has been awarded its National Award by the Indian government, was left out.