Laapataa Ladies writer doesn't want to call Kiran Rao's film feminist, here's why

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After garnering a lot of appreciation, Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies became India's official entry to Oscars 2025. The film, which was not a box office success, gained immense love and became successful when it was released on OTT. Recently, in an interview, Sneha Desai, the writer of the film, talked about how the film is so special and also reflected on how she does not wish to call it a 'feminist film'. Read on to know the details!

Sneha Desai on Laapataa Ladies being called a 'feminist film'

In a recent interview with India Today, Sneha Desai revealed her excitement about the film being selected as India's official entry for the Oscars. Talking about the film being called a feminist, the writer said, "I don't think I'd like to call it a feminist film."

She further talked about how the film talks about women and women empowerment but also mentioned that it does not focus on that one factor. She said, "It does talk about women, women empowerment, but it does not wear its feminism on its sleeves. We are trying to address a lot of issues in a very tongue-in-cheek way. Also, we are trying to ask women to find solutions to their problems within the periphery of the structure we are living in."

Sneha also explained that through the film, the team doesn't want women to be revolutionaries or rebels but to take small steps in life toward being emotionally and financially independent. "We didn't want to go about doing any kind of male bashing. We wanted our male characters to be wonderful, rooted and warm. I think we were able to strike that balance," she added.

For those who are unaware, Laapataa Ladies successfully ran over 50 days in theatres before premiering on Netflix. The film narrates the tale of two women who lose themselves during a train ride. Before its theatrical run, Laapataa Ladies was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film stars Nitanshi Goel, Sparsh Shrivastav, Pratibha Ranta, Ravi Kishan, and Chhaya Kadam.