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Team Laapataa Ladies is currently on cloud nine, as their movie has been selected as India’s official entry for the 97th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. For actor Chhaya Kadam, however, the excitement is even greater as she had two films competing for this honour. In addition to director Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies, she also played a key role in director Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light, which won the Grand Prix award at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
Although she earned significant acclaim for both films and would have received even more recognition if either had been nominated, Chhaya, who played Manju Maai in the film, was certain that Laapataa Ladies would triumph over the other 28 titles in the race and emerge as India’s official entry. In fact, she recently revealed that she had predicted this outcome to Kiran a day before the announcement. “Mera first reaction yeh tha ki yeh toh hona hi tha (My first reaction was that this was bound to happen),” she said during a chat with News18. “I was and still am extremely happy. But I knew deep down in my heart that this was inevitable,” she added.
Recalling her conversation with Kiran the day prior to the announcement, she said, “I received a text from her, ‘Do have a good time there. Let’s meet once you’re back.’ I replied back, ‘Thanks, dear. Pan apan Oscar la zaanaar’. That was my last message to me her before we came to know the big news. Once the announcement came about, I texted her again and congratulated her.” Chhaya further mentioned that Laapataa Ladies is a story that gives hope and teaches the importance of dreaming.
As usual, the selection process for India’s official entry to the Oscars has sparked controversy, with many criticising the jury for overlooking films like All We Imagine as Light and Aattam, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film for 2022. A section of netizens also pointed out the irony that a women-centric film was chosen by a jury led by Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua, which had no female members.
Commenting on this, Chhaya said, “Hum film waale log hai (We are film personnel). It’s important that we’ve film connoisseurs take these picks, irrespective of whether they’re male or female. Film samajhna zyaada zaroori hai aur usse zyaada important kuch nahi hai (It is more important to understand the film and there is nothing more important than that),” she added.
In her review of Laapataa Ladies, The Indian Express’ Shubhra Gupta wrote, “Kiran Rao film is unapologetically message-y, but its strongly beating feminist heart overrides the broad brush strokes. Sometimes things need to be stated loud and clear.”
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