Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies, which represented India at the Oscars 2025, has become the subject of a plagiarism debate. Numerous social media users have highlighted notable resemblances between Laapataa Ladies and an Arabic film titled Burqa City.

Laapataa Ladies accused of copying Burqa City

A video featuring Burqa City has surfaced on social media, igniting discussions regarding the parallels between Laapataa Ladies and the Arabic film.

In 2019, director Fabrice Bracq released a 19-minute satirical short film titled Burqa City, set in the Middle East. The narrative follows a newlywed man who becomes frantic as he searches for his wife, who has been mistakenly exchanged with another woman donning a similar burqa. Through this storyline, Burqa City critiques patriarchal societies, gender-based limitations, and the obliteration of women's identities.

The resemblance between the narratives of Burqa City and Laapataa Ladies has caught the attention of many social media users, who have been quick to highlight the similarities between the two films.

One individual took to X to express, “Kiran Rao's Lapata Ladies, which is India's official submission for the Oscars and is presented as an original creation, appears to be significantly influenced by a 2019 short film called Burqa City. Kiran Rao developed Lapata Ladies with a similar theme, substituting burqas with ghoonghats. The film conveys the same message regarding patriarchy, societal expectations, and women's identities. Even the scene featuring Ravi Kishan at the police station seems to draw considerable inspiration from it.”

Another commenter remarked, “There is nothing original left in Bollywood.” This sentiment sparked a discussion on Reddit, titled “Burqa City, 2019 short film - Replace Burqa with Ghunghat and you have an original Oscar-nominated Indian film.”

“Wow, I had no idea this existed before. Thank you, OP, for sharing,” one user commented, while another added, “This is shameful.” “This is embarrassing... the creators were relishing their success as if they had produced something truly original,” remarked another individual.

About Laapataa Ladies

Laapataa Ladies takes place in the fictional state of Nirmal Pradesh in 2001, where two brides are mistakenly exchanged during a train journey. One bride is taken home by the wrong groom, while the other is left alone at a railway station. A police officer named Kishan, portrayed by Ravi Kishan, decides to investigate the situation. The film is inspired by an award-winning narrative by Biplab Goswami. It has been produced by Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, and Jyoti Deshpande under the banners of Aamir Khan Productions, Kindling Pictures, and Jio Studios. Released in March of the previous year, the film stars Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, and Sparsh Shrivastav in leading roles, alongside Ravi Kishan, Chhaya Kadam, and Geeta Aggarwal Sharma. It was selected as India's official submission for the Oscars 2025, although Kiran Rao's direction did not secure a place on the shortlist.

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