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FFI Committee explains submitting "Laapataa Ladies" to the Oscars as India's rep


"Laapaata Ladies" stood out as it highlighted women-centric issues, making the film particularly noteworthy
26 Sep - The Oscar committee who selected "Laapaata Ladies" as India's representative work for the Best International Feature category found themselves having to explain why they chose the Kiran Rao film rather than the Cannes winner "All We Imagine As Light" amid uproar among the public and critics alike.

Filmmaker Jahnu Barua, who headed the 13-member FFI committee, revealed that the decision to submit "Laapaata Ladies" was unanimous, seeing that the movie stood out by the way it highlighted many issues related to women.

"Also, we always look at chaos in a negative light but we fail to understand that there's also a lot of beauty in it. The Indian social system, our relationships, and interactions have traditionally always had chaos. That is what the committee took note of and really enjoyed it," he said.

"Laapataa Ladies" is selected as India's official entry to the Oscars 2025
The film is directed by Kiran Rao
The film is directed by Kiran Rao
He also said that the movie is identifiable among film lovers.

"Socially, worldwide, the issues, particularly the ones that are hardly portrayed, have been highlighted in the film. So many great films across the country come for selection, and as the jury, you would want your chosen film to get into the nomination," he added.

As to why they snubbed "All We Imagine as Light", Jahnu said that they have to look into a lot of aspects when submitting a movie to the Oscars.

"I feel it needs to be taken sportingly, and not negatively. We are all a mix, and we should celebrate that. Indian society is all about social chaos, which has been beautifully depicted in the film. Our traditions and culture have been so different, and that sets us apart from the West. We shouldn't read too much into it and look at it positively," he added.

"All We Imagine as Light" won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival



Related Movies:
Laapataa Ladies (Hindi) (01 Mar 2024)

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