The day before filming began for “Lost Ladies,” the director of photography tested positive for COVID. Suddenly, director Kiran Rao found herself at the top of a front-loaded shooting schedule that included active, bustling train stations in central India — down a D.P.
, and soon down several cast members while they rotated in and out of isolation and ultimately switched roles. Producer Aamir Khan called it “musical chairs” while marveling at Rao’s ability to put out fires and juggle the day-to-day of set, never halting the shoot throughout. Rao, seated beside Khan at a Q&A for “Lost Ladies” ( formerly known as “Laapataa Ladies” ) on November 12, smiled and shrugged: “Independent filmmaking!” “Lost Ladies” tells the story of Phool (Nitanshi Goel) and Jay (Pratibha Ranta), two women who end up swapping places due to a mix-up on a crowded train.
Phool ends up stranded at a station with no money, phone, or her in-laws contact information; Jaya, on a mission of her own, ends up with Phool’s husband and family while a shrewd police inspector (Ravi Kishan) tries to solve the case. Jio Studios head Jyoti Deshpande joined Khan and Rao for the post-screening discussion, calling “Lost Ladies” “a shining beacon” of what her company aims to do. “One of our mission statements is ‘Make in India and show the world.
’ I think out of all the stories that we’ve told, ‘Lost Ladies’ is a shining example of what we want to do: take quintessentially .
