India’s Official Entry for the Oscars 2025

The Film Federation of India (FFI) confirmed on Monday that director Kiran Rao’s recent film Laapataa Ladies is India’s official entry to the 2025 Academy Awards. Laapataa Ladies is producer-director Kiran Rao’s second directorial, after the 2011 film Dhobi Ghat. Incidentally, Lagaan, the first ever film Kiran Rao worked on as an assistant director, had also been submitted to the Oscars back in the day.

Laapataa Ladies released on March 1. Starring newcomers Nitanshi Goel, Sparsh Shrivastava and Pratibha Ranta in key roles, Laapataa Ladies, set in 2001, revolves around a groom who picks up a wrong bride from the train in his journey back home. This heartwarming film combines comedy, drama and satire with a timely message on female empowerment.

Produced by Aamir Khan, Laapataa Ladies did not do well theatrically despite opening to glowing reviews. However, the film gained a world of popularity after its OTT release on Netflix, attaining cult status. Laapataa Ladies has also done record viewership numbers on Netflix, dethroning Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, which was previously on the top lists for weeks.

Every year, the government of India gets to choose one film to compete in the Best Foreign Film category of the Oscars. They will be rounds of selection before the final cut. Last year, the Malayalam film 2018, directed by Jude Anthony Joseph was India’s submission to the Oscars. It may be noted that to this date, no Indian film that has been submitted to the Oscars has ever won an award.