Laapataa Ladies becoming India’s official entry to the Oscars is no mean feat. While the team of the Kiran Rao directorial and the film industry, as a whole, are celebrating this achievement, a certain section of the internet is visibly upset. On one hand, some called out the jury for having no women.
The Film Federation of India, on the other hand, received criticism for citing in their now-viral document that Indian women are a ‘strange mix of submission and dominance’ while describing why they chose Laapataa Ladies. The team of the film haven’t reacted to these criticisms yet. However, Chhaya kadam, who played a pivotal role in Aamir Khan’s production venture, exclusively speaks to News18 Showsha and shares her stance on the lack of women representatives in the jury.
“Hum film waale log hai. It’s important that we’ve film connoisseurs take these picks, irrespective of whether they’re male or female. Film samajhna zyaada zaroori hai aur usse zyaada important kuch nahi hai,” she states.
A few on social media have also expressed how All We Imagine As Light, which won the Grand Prix and made a historic record at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival, and Aattam that bagged three honours at the National Film Awards are more deserving than Laapataa Ladies. Last month, Variety had reported that Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light may become India and France’s official entry to the Oscars under the international feature category. It was also a part of the roster of four movies shortlisted by France’s Oscar committee.
Chhaya, interestingly, played pivotal parts in both All We Imagine As Light and Laapataa Ladies. While’s she happy to have Laapataa Ladies making the cut, she confides that she was deeply sure of the former also getting an Oscar honour. “Dono bachche hai mere.
I was as excited about All We Imagine As Light as Laapataa Ladies. But I thought that All We Imagine As Light would surely make it to the Oscars,” she states. However, she’s quick to add that Payal is equally thrilled for Laapataa Ladies.
“Payal is a very different woman. Yes, she wished that her film would make it but she’s very happy about Laapataa Ladies too since it’s also an Indian film. I had spoken to Tanaji (Dasgupta; a producer on Laapataa Ladies) yesterday.
Payal also spoke to him and congratulated him. Kuch log aise hote hai na ki doosre ke khushi mein khush ho jaate hai aur Payal bhi waisi hi hai,” Chhaya remarks. Predicting an Oscar win for the film co-starring Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava and Ravi Kishan, Chhaya says, “To be honest, I’m really excited about this honour because this means that more and more people will get to watch it.
But yes, I truly believe that Laapataa Ladies ko Oscar milna chahiye aur andar se lag raha hai ki aisa hi hoga.”.
