The Film Federation of India (FFI), recently left fans majorly divided again with its decision to send Kiran Rao’s ‘Laapataa Ladies’ as the country’s official submission to the Oscars‘ best international feature category. This came as a major shocker to those who had spent the past four months rooting for Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine As Light’ to be sent instead.
Kapadia scripted history with her debut as it was not only India’s first competing title at the Cannes Film Festival in over three decades, it was also the country’s first win in the ‘Grand Prix’ category in over half a century.
The FFI’s decision has been brought further into question considering that last year’s Grand Prix winner ‘The Zone of Interest’ went on to win in the best international feature category. This questionable decision was justified by the Federation by classifying ‘Laapataa Ladies’ as a feature rooted more in Indian-ness. Does only the use of ‘ghoonghats’ make a film feel Indian?
This decision furthers the notion of archaic patriarchal practices, which is essentially the opposite of what the title is trying to promote itself! More than that, choosing ‘Laapataa Ladies’ over ‘All We Imagine As Light’ because the latter follows two nurses embarking on a journey to cope with the loneliness of their monotonous lives and that apparently, it is an un-Indian concept, is not the best representation of what the Federation considers art.
Moreover, the fact that Amir Khan is a producer on ‘Laapataa Ladies’ could also have influenced the Federation’s decision. If only this support were extended to Payal Kapadia as well!