Departing from the typical cinematic landscape of Bollywood that often slant towards the regressive and hypermasculine ideals, Kiran Rao”s Laapata Ladies (Lost Ladies) embraces nuance textures of the uncomfortable realities fringed within the society. Staying true to its name, the film depicts the lives of a bunch of women who are lost in different ways and ultimately discover their true selves.
Widely appreciated for its making and unusual approach of film making, the film has now officially made its grant entry to the Oscars. As the film captures the diversity perfectly and be seen as one that needs change, and one that can bring about change, it has made itself the one among the 29 Indian entries to the Oscar 2025.
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The film garnered critical appreciations for its story and making. An X (formerly twitter), user wrote down a thread of review on the platform giving out a marvelous observation of the characters. The handle named “Neeche Se Topper”, points out that the “lost” in the film is not geographical but social. The user said that the movie tells the story of the ladies who lost opportunities, support, and identity. They said Laapata Ladies is about those who lost their identity and a better way of life because of the unjust world.
The user went on to beautifully point out depth of each character and the psychology behind their names. Phool, Manju maayi, Deepak, Jaya and so on, It was an amazing unwrapping of the film. Linking the expressions on their faces and names of the characters to the context of their realities, the review baffles readers with its accuracy.
laapata ladies.
[a review thread]
-through the lens of cinema. 1/13 pic.twitter.com/fpUjNTOal3
— Neeche Se Topper (@NeecheSeTopper) May 4, 2024
The Laapata Ladies revolves around an incident that occurs after a marriage. The story is set in 2001 in rural India, two brides get separated on a train journey and thus a police officer Manohar investigates the missing case. The film received a standing ovation when it was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023.
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Laapataa Ladies is jointly produced by Aamir Khan Productions and Kindling Pictures and presented by Jio Studios. The movie features an ensemble cast including Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan in significant roles.