Picture : ANI / X
The journey has just begun for “Laapataa Ladies” at Oscars 2025, says director Kiran Rao while admitting she is still in a state of “slight shock” to find that her film will represent the country at the Academy Awards.
The Film Federation of India, which selects entries for the best international film category at Oscars, picked “Laapataa Ladies” from among 29 titles as India’s official selection.
The Hindi film, about two brides getting swapped on the day of their wedding during a train ride in 2001, was chosen from a list of 29 films, including Bollywood hit “Animal”, Malayalam National Award winner “Aattam” and Cannes winner “All We Imagine As Light”.
The 13-member selection committee headed by Assamese director Jahnu Barua unanimously decided on “Laapataa Ladies”, produced by Aamir Khan and Rao, for reckoning in the best international film category at the Academy Awards.
“The journey has only just begun with being chosen as India’s entry to the Oscars. It’s a long and hard journey because there’s a lot of expertise, money, and support required and campaign strategy that one has to develop and carry through. We will put our best foot forward and try our best to take the film as far as it goes down this road towards the Oscars,” Rao told PTI in an interview.
