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Kiran Rao’s directorial venture, Laapataa Ladies, which was initially selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars 2025 but failed to make the final cut, has now found itself embroiled in a plagiarism controversy. Despite receiving critical acclaim, the film is facing fresh accusations regarding its originality.
Allegations of Similarity with Burqa City
Online discussions have drawn parallels between Laapataa Ladies and Burqa City, a 2019 Arabic short film directed by Fabrice Bracq. Viral clips comparing the two movies suggest striking similarities in plot and execution. Burqa City follows the story of a newlywed man who mistakenly takes home a different woman due to the identical burqas worn by women in his society. This premise, according to some netizens, closely resembles the central conflict of Laapataa Ladies, where a bride mix-up occurs at a railway station.
Kiran Rao’s Lapata Ladies, India’s official entry to the Oscars and projected as an original work, actually seems heavily inspired by a 2019 short film titled Burqa City.
Set in Middle East, the 19 min film follows a newlywed man whose wife gets exchanged due to identical… pic.twitter.com/b7GcHN2MmI
Advertisement · Scroll to continue— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) March 31, 2025
Starring Omar Mebrouk, Chadia Amajod, Jalal Altawil, and Noman Hosni, Burqa City is a satirical take on rigid societal norms and can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
Social Media Backlash
The accusations have sparked debate on social media, with many users questioning Bollywood’s creative integrity. Some comments on X (formerly Twitter) include:
- “There is nothing original about Bollywood anymore. Everything is copied from somewhere.”
- “Bollywood just rebrands copied content and sells it as an original masterpiece.”
- “Inspiration or straight-up plagiarism? You decide.”
Previous Allegations from Ananth Mahadevan
This is not the first time Laapataa Ladies has faced plagiarism claims. Earlier, filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan had accused the film of resembling his 1999 release Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol. Mahadevan stated that both films share a nearly identical premise where a groom mistakenly takes home the wrong bride due to a mix-up at a railway station.
“The opening scenes and many incidents in Laapataa Ladies are too similar to my film to be just a coincidence,” Mahadevan remarked in an interview.
However, Laapataa Ladies writer Biplab Goswami has refuted these claims, stating that he wrote the script a decade ago and that the film is an entirely original creation.
Bollywood’s Ongoing Struggle with Plagiarism Claims
Bollywood has frequently been accused of borrowing heavily from international films without proper acknowledgment. While some argue that cinematic inspiration is natural, others believe that a lack of originality continues to plague the industry. As the controversy around Laapataa Ladies unfolds, audiences remain divided over whether the film is a case of creative inspiration or an outright copy.
