Payal Kapadia Praises 'Laapataa Ladies' Amid Oscar Buzz

Filmmaker Payal Kapadia has expressed her admiration for Laapataa Ladies, describing it as “a fun, wonderful movie.” In her recent comments, she shared her happiness as an audience member regarding the film's selection as India’s official entry for the Oscars. This comes shortly after her own film, All We Imagine As Light, was not chosen as the country’s representative for the prestigious awards.

In an interview with Times of India, Kapadia reflected on the significance of Oscar validation, stating, “Cannes gave us so much attention in India, and the nicest thing is that recognition gave me distribution. There is no bigger joy than screening your film in cinemas, which people can buy a ticket for and watch. I have done that all my life for films that I liked. People wanting to watch a film in cinemas or film festivals is the reason we want to make films.”

When questioned about the possibility of entering All We Imagine As Light as an independent Oscar entry, Kapadia noted, “The film will be released in India and the US next month, so we will see how people respond to it. Will we send the film independently? It's not really in my hands. I am happy that Laapataa Ladies has been selected as India's official entry to the Oscars. It's such a fun, wonderful movie. As an audience, I am happy about it. I also loved Kiran Rao's previous film Dhobi Ghat. Whatever my film gets, it's a bonus for me.”

All We Imagine As Light recently premiered at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, where it received a full-house screening. The film made headlines earlier this year as the first Indian film to win the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. It explores the life of Prabha, portrayed by Kani Kusruti, a Mumbai nurse whose world is upended when she receives a rice cooker from her estranged husband. The cast also includes Divya Prabha as Anu, Prabha’s roommate, and Chhaya Kadam as Parvati, a widow facing eviction by property developers.

On the other hand, Laapataa Ladies, a comedy-drama directed by Kiran Rao, features an ensemble cast including Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan.