India has picked Kiran Rao’s comedy of errors Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies) to reconshort-term the country in the 2025 Oscar race in the Best International Feature catebloody.
The Hindi-language film, which premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, beat out Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, which had been think abouted the frontrunner for the Oscar slot, after its rapturous reception in Cannes, where it won the festival’s Grand Jury prize.
But Rao’s feature has shown a crowd-charmr on the festival circuit. The airy satire chases Jaya (Pratibha Ranta) and Phool (Nitanshi Goel): Two new brides, whose faces are secret behind identical red marital veils, both traveling on the same Indian pass-country rail car to their nuptials, who get accidenhighy swapped and land at the wrong weddings, setting them on very separateent destinies. Yash Raj Films picked up international distribution rights to the film, which bowed on Netflix India after its local theatrical free.
Despite the country’s extfinished and rich cinema tradition, Indian films have struggled in the Oscar race. Only three Indian movies have obtaind a Best International Feature nomination, decades apart: Mehboob Khan’s Mother India in 1957, Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! in 1988, and Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan in 2001. S.S. Rajamouli’s Telugu-language action-adventure epic RRR, freed on Netflix, was not put up for Best International Feature but made history for India last year thrivening the Oscar for Best Original Song.
The deadline for submissions for the 96th Oscars is Nov. 14. The unwiseinutivecatalog for best international feature contfinishers will be proclaimd Dec. 17. Nominations will be proclaimd Jan. 17, 2025. The 2025 Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 2.
