Copycat on the movie 'Laapataa Ladies'!

When Kiran Rao's 'Laapataa Ladies' was selected as India's official entry for the 2025 Oscars, it was a major milestone in the representation of Indian women in cinema. The film was praised for its satirical take on women's self-esteem, patriarchy, and social constraints. However, not only did the film fail to win at the Oscars, but it is now embroiled in another major controversy.

Netizens are alleging that the plot of ‘Lapatha Ladies’ has striking similarities to the story of the French-Arabic short film ‘Burqa City’ released in 2019. In the story of ‘Burqa City’, a man mistakenly takes another woman in a burqa after an argument with his wife. Similarly, in ‘Laapataa Ladies’, the main plot is about a bride changing after marriage. Critics are saying that the police station scene in particular is very close.

Some argue that bride-swapping is not a new plot in Indian literature and cinema. It has been a recurring theme in everything from Rabindranath Tagore's novel 'Naukadubi' to Hindi TV serials that aired in the 2000s. However, given the uncanny parallels with 'Burqa City', the question is whether this is just an influence or a clear copy. It remains to be seen how the makers will react to this.