Hansal Mehta Criticizes FFI as Laapataa Ladies Exits Oscars Race

Ziya Khan December 19, 2024Last Updated: December 19, 2024

Hansal Mehta on Laapataa Ladies out from Oscars race

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has openly criticized the Film Federation of India (FFI) after Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies, India’s official entry for the Best International Feature at the 97th Academy Awards, failed to secure a spot on the Oscars shortlist. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Mehta expressed his disappointment and questioned both the selection process and the track record of the FFI. Sharing a screenshot of the shortlisted films in the Best International Feature category, Mehta sarcastically remarked, “Film Federation of India does it again! Their strike rate and selection of films year after year is impeccable.”

Ricky Kej Voices His Concerns: ‘Wrong Choice’ for India’s Oscars Entry

Adding to the criticism, Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej described Laapataa Ladies as the “wrong choice” to represent India at the Oscars. He expressed his views on X, stating, “When are we going to realize… year after year… we are choosing the wrong films? There are so many excellent movies made, and we should be winning the #InternationalFeatureFilm category every year! ”Kej elaborated, “Unfortunately, we live in a ‘Mainstream Bollywood’ bubble, where we cannot look beyond films that we find entertaining. Instead, we should focus on great artistic cinema, regardless of budget or star power.”

Laapataa Ladies Out of the Race: Scrutiny on India’s Selection Process

In September 2023, the Film Federation of India, led by Jahnu Barua, selected Laapataa Ladies as the official entry for the Oscars. Despite being chosen from a list of 29 contenders, including Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light and the National Award-winning Aattam, Laapataa Ladies did not make it to the Oscars shortlist.

While Laapataa Ladies is now out of the race, there remains some hope for India’s Oscars representation. The Shahana Goswami-starrer Santosh, directed by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, is still in contention as the UK’s official entry. Additionally, Guneet Monga’s live-action short film Anuja has made it to the Oscars shortlist, offering a glimmer of hope for India’s representation in 2025.