Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies sparks plagiarism row amid Burqa City comparisons

Dubai: Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies, which was India’s official entry to the Oscars 2025, is reportedly at the center of a plagiarism row.

Several social media users have pointed out similarities between Laapataa Ladies and the 2019 Arabic short film Burqa City.

Directed by Fabrice Bracq, Burqa City is a 19-minute satirical film set in the Middle East. It follows a newlywed man who mistakenly takes home the wrong woman due to identical burqas, leading to a mix-up that explores themes of patriarchy, gender-based restrictions, and the erasure of women's identities.

A clip from Burqa City has resurfaced online, prompting comparisons with Laapataa Ladies. One user on X wrote, “Kiran Rao's Laapataa 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.... Kiran Rao made Laapataa Ladies, with the same theme, replacing burqas with ghoonghats. The film carried the same message about patriarchy, societal norms, and women's identity. Even the Ravi Kishan police station scene seems heavily inspired.”

Another user commented, “There is nothing original about Bollywood anymore.” The topic also gained traction on Reddit, where one thread noted: “Burqa City, 2019 short film – Replace Burqa with Ghunghat, you get original Oscar nominated Indian movie.”

When Gulf News reviewed Laapataa Ladies, we found it to be a charming and well-cast comedy that tackled complex themes like feminism and patriarchy in a palatable, feel-good manner. With its fresh cast and engaging narrative, the film stood out for its simplicity and heart. We rated it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Laapataa Ladies is set in 2001 rural India and follows the story of two brides who are accidentally swapped during a train journey. The film is produced by Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, and Jyoti Deshpande under Aamir Khan Productions, Kindling Pictures, and Jio Studios. Though it was selected as India’s Oscar entry, the film did not make the final shortlist.