Biplab Goswami, the writer of Laapataa Ladies, released a statement on Saturday addressing the recent plagiarism claims regarding his film. Many online users have pointed out resemblances between Kiran Rao's direction and the Arabic movie Burqa City. Here’s what he had to say.

Laaptaa Ladies author refutes allegations of plagiarism

Biplab took to social media to assert that he registered Laapataa Ladies with the Screenwriters Association back in 2014, well ahead of the Arabic film's release. He mentioned that the disputed scenes were included in the synopsis he registered. In 2018, he also claimed to have registered a feature-length script titled Two Brides with the SWA, which even won an award at the Cinestaan Storytellers Competition that same year, according to his statement.

He further pointed out that the theme of veils and disguises leading to mistaken identities is a well-known trope that has been around for centuries, citing writers like William Shakespeare and Rabindranath Tagore as examples. “Laapataa Ladies employs this mistaken identity concept with completely original characters, settings, narratives, and social implications,” part of his statement reads.

Biplab emphasized that his story, dialogues, characters, and scenes are the result of years of research and genuine reflection, along with a deep understanding of gender discrimination and inequality. He concluded his note by stating, “Our story, characters, and dialogues are 100% original. Any claims of plagiarism are entirely false. These accusations not only diminish my work as a writer but also the hard work of the entire filmmaking team.”

What went down?

Lately, the Hindi film chosen as India’s official entry for the Oscars has faced criticism after some internet users shared clips from Laapataa Ladies alongside scenes from Fabrice Bracq’s 2019 movie Burqa City, highlighting the similarities between the two. Burqa City follows a newlywed man who frantically searches for his wife after she gets accidentally swapped with another woman in a similar burqa. Kiran has not yet addressed these allegations.

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