Kiran Rao’s critically acclaimed film ‘Laapataa Ladies’ emerged as a major winner at the IIFA Awards this year, bagging multiple accolades, including Best Original Story. However, filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan has once again raised concerns about the film’s striking resemblance to his 1999 movie ‘Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol’.
Ananth Mahadevan takes a dig at Laapataa Ladies’ IIFA win
Taking to Facebook, Mahadevan posted a poster of his film and subtly took a dig at Laapataa Ladies’ success at IIFA. Without directly naming the film, he wrote, “GHUNGHAT KE PAT KHOL just made a clean sweep of something called IIFA awards… including BEST ORIGINAL STORY!! Of course with another title… but then a rose is a rose by any name!”
The filmmaker also shared a YouTube video featuring a key scene from his film, which depicts an accidental bride swap at a railway station—similar to the premise of ‘Laapataa Ladies’. When a social media user claimed that Aamir Khan Productions had removed all copies of ‘Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol’ from YouTube, another fan inquired about where they could watch it. Mahadevan responded by sharing the video link, adding, “Only 1 hour available.”
Mahadevan on similarity between Laapataa Ladies and his film Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol
This isn’t the first time Mahadevan has drawn attention to the similarities between the two films. In May last year, he spoke to Mid-Day about the issue, stating, “It seems too much of a coincidence. I have seen ‘Laapataa Ladies’, and the beginning as well as many incidents are the same,” while pointing out various scenes he believed were identical.
About Laapataa Ladies
‘Laapataa Ladies’, released internationally as ‘Lost Ladies’, stars Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan. The film follows the journey of two brides who mistakenly switch places while traveling on a train.
Premiering at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, the film sparked debate when it was selected as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards, surpassing Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine As Light’. However, it ultimately failed to secure a nomination.
