Plagiarism row hits Laapataa Ladies. Mr.Perfectionist Aamir Khan's ex wife Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies captured the imagination of all when the film got rave reviews and became India's official entry to the prestigious oscars.
Now, shocking reports are coming that Laapataa Ladies is the copy of 2019 Arabic film Burqa City. Netizens on social media are reacting angrily when the clip featuring a scene from Burqa City went viral on social media which looked similar to Laapataa Ladies.
The video went viral with the caption "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 burqas. He then embarks on a journey to find her. The satirical comedy highlights the absurdity of a society where women are treated as interchangeable objects rather than unique individuals, critiquing extreme patriarchy, gender-based restrictions, and the loss of identity.
Kiran Rao made Lapata 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."
Netizens questioned angrily in the following way.
One of the X users remarks, “Abhi kuch nahi ho sakta..I was under the impression that it was original..good that this movie gave one beautiful song Sajni re by Arijit (Nothing can happen now),” while another questioned, “Inspired or copied (sic).” A third user wrote, “It’s intriguing that Lapata Ladies has drawn comparisons to Burqa City given the striking similarities in themes and narrative structure. If Rao’s film indeed mirrors key aspects of Burqa City, it raises valid questions about originality and the fine line between inspiration and imitation. While it’s possible that Rao took inspiration from the short film, the core message about patriarchy, societal norms, and the loss of identity is universal and worth exploring. However, recognizing the source of inspiration is essential, especially when it comes to international recognition like the Oscars (sic).”
Even earlier Laapataa Ladies landed in controversy when actor Ananth Mahadevan said Laapataa Ladies resembled with his debut directorial venture Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol (1999).