Kiran Rao on How Fresh Faces in 'Laapataa Ladies' Led to Success

Director Kiran Rao opened up about her film Laapataa Ladies, which has been selected as India's official entry for the Oscars. The filmmaker explained the decision to cast fresh faces instead of established stars, shedding light on the creative choices behind the film.

Kiran, speaking at the India Today Mumbai Conclave 2024 session titled Take II: How Women are Redefining Indian Cinema, shared why the story of Laapataa Ladies interested her.

“The story spoke to me. I think, particularly, it was about two girls searching for freedom, opportunity, and voice. Stories like these interest filmmakers like me because I feel that we need more films on women. It's exceedingly important that we invest much more in women storytellers, producers, actors and projects helmed by women. I’ll continue to want to tell stories revolving around interesting female characters.”

How Fresh Faces Made the Film More Relatable & Real

The director also elaborated on creative choices that helped shape the movie's unique appeal. She explained how the decision to cast fresh faces made the story more grounded and relatable. “We felt that keeping the story rooted and organic would make it far more believable and enjoyable. I think that's one of the key reasons the audience responded so well to it. With a completely fresh cast, people didn’t recognize the actors, allowing them to forget and fully immerse themselves in the world of the film. That worked in our favor.”

"We put a lot of thought into how to integrate the everyday struggles women face at different stages of their lives into the story. But we wanted to do it through humor because no one wants a lecture when they go to the cinema. I genuinely believe humor is one of the best ways to tackle some of the most uncomfortable issues. The premise itself—a mix-up of two women on a train due to their ghunghats—was so absurd, it naturally lent itself to comedy," she added.

Laapataa Ladies, starring Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, and Sparsh Shrivastava, is set in rural India and features the story of two brides who inadvertently get exchanged at a railway station. It has been produced by Aamir Khan.

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