In a surprising turn of events, Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies (retitled Lost Ladies) has failed to make it to the shortlist for the Oscars 2025 in the Best International Feature category. The shortlist was announced on December 17, leaving many fans and supporters of the film disappointed.

India’s Hope Still Alive

However, all hope is not lost for India. Santosh, a film about India featuring Indian actors, has made it to the shortlist from the UK. The film’s selection has brought a glimmer of hope for Indian cinema fans, who are eagerly waiting to see if Santosh will make it to the final nominations.

Laapataa Ladies was chosen as the official entry for the 97th Academy Awards in September. The 13-member selection committee, chaired by Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua, had praised the film for perfectly capturing the diversity of Indian women. Despite this, the film failed to make it to the shortlist, which includes 15 films from around the world.

The shortlisted films include Brazil’s “I’m Still Here”, Canada’s “Universal Language”, Czech Republic’s “Waves”, and many more. The final nominations for the Oscars 2025 will be announced in January 2025.

About the film

Laapataa Ladies is set in a fictitious state called Nirmal Pradesh in 2001, where two brides get swapped in a train. The film features Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, and Sparsh Shrivastav in the lead roles alongside Ravi Kishan, Chhaya Kadam, and Geeta Aggarwal Sharma. The film was produced by Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, and Jyoti Deshpande under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions, Kindling Pictures, and Jio Studios.

The film’s failure to make it to the shortlist has sparked a debate among film enthusiasts and critics, with many questioning the selection process and the criteria used to choose the shortlisted films. However, the selection of Santosh from the UK has brought a sense of hope and optimism for Indian cinema, and fans are eagerly waiting to see how the film will fare in the next round of nominations.