Laapataa Ladies Writer Biplab Goswami Denies Plagiarism Allegations; Calls It ''Completely Untrue"

Kiran Rao directorial Laapataa Ladies, which received positive reviews upon its release, was selected as India's official entry for the Best International Feature for the 97th Oscars. The entire team of the film was showered with praises for its narrative, storytelling, and stellar performances.

But recently, Laapataa Ladies landed in a controversy after a short video from 2019 Arabic short film, Burqa City, went viral on social media. Netizens found stark similarities between Kiran Rao's directorial and Burqa City and it sparked a debate online over possible plagiarism.

What Laapataa Ladies' writer has to say

Laapataa Ladies writer Biplab Goswami, who wrote the film with Sneha Desai, responded to the controversy. He stated that his story is “100% original'' and called the ''allegations of plagiarism are completely untrue''.

Goswami shared his statement on his Instagram handle, where he stated that he had registered the synopsis of Laapataa Ladies with the Screenwriters Association in 2014, before the Burqa City was made.

His statement read: "The screenplay for Laapataa Ladies was developed extensively over many years. I first registered the film's detailed synopsis, outlining the entire story with the working title ‘Two Brides', with the Screenwriters Association on July 3, 2014." 

He added, "Even within this registered synopsis, there is a scene that clearly describes the groom bringing home the wrong bride and being shocked and stricken upon realising his mistake because of the veil, along with the rest of his family. This is where the story takes off''.

He also said that he had registered the feature-length script with the Screenwriters Association in 2018 and that was the runner-up at the Cinestaan Storytellers Competition.

Have a look at his full statement here.

Kiran Rao is yet to comment on it, but she reshared Biplab's statement on her Instagram stories. 

What Burqa City's director said

French filmmaker Fabrice Bracq, who helmed Burqa City, told IFP that he is ''surprised by how closely the pitch'' of Laapataa Ladies matched with his short film. He said there were many aspects of his film that were present in Kiran Rao's film.

Talking about the similarities between Laapataa Ladies and his film, the filmmaker said, ''the kind, loving, naive husband who loses his wife, contrasted with the other husband who is violent and despicable. The scene with the police officer is also striking: a corrupt, violent, and intimidating policeman surrounded by two sidekicks. Of course, there라이브 바카라 the moment with the photo of the veiled woman''.

Fabrice further said, ''The scene where the kind husband searches for his wife in various shops is particularly revealing – he shows the shopkeepers a photo of his veiled wife, just like in the short film, and then the shopkeeper라이브 바카라 wife comes out wearing a burqa, almost like a nod to Burqa City. There라이브 바카라 also the similarity in the plot twist at the end, where we learn that the woman deliberately chose to run away from her abusive husband – a key narrative element in Burqa City.”

He added, ''And more broadly, the film carries a similar message about women라이브 바카라 emancipation and feminism.”

He concluded saying, ''When I found out, I was both shocked and saddened, especially since I understood that the film has been a huge success in India, and was even shortlisted for the Oscars. As for me, I had hopes, and was in discussions to adapt Burqa City into a feature film. But is that even possible now?”

The filmmaker also added that he would probably have a discussion with the production team of Laapataa Ladies.

Bracq also clarified that Burqa City was written in 2017, shot in 2018, and was screened internationally in 2019, including at film festivals in Kolkata and Auroville in 2020.

Bracq's interview was published before Biplab reacted to the allegations.

About Laapataa Ladies

Laapataa Ladies is a social satire which is based on the theme of gender equality, which comes with a strong social message. The film is about two rural brides who get swapped and lose their way because of their veils.

After its world premiere as Lost Ladies at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 8, 2023, it released in theatres on March 1, 2024.

It was produced by Jio Studios, Kindling Pictures and Aamir Khan Productions. The film starred Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastav and Ravi Kishan in key roles.