'Laapataa Ladies' is the official entry from India for Oscars. Writer Sneha Desai, who made her feature film debut with the Kiran Rao-directorial, spoke to mid-day.com about what the film's achievement means to her
L- Sneha Desai; R- Still from Laapataa Ladies
‘Laapataa Ladies’ has been announced the official entry from India for the Oscars. The film directed by Kiran Rao introduced several new faces on screen and some off the camera as well. It also marked the debut feature film of writer Sneha Desai who adapted a story by Biplab Goswami to the beautiful film that we saw on screen. A day after the film getting selected as India's entry for Oscars a delighted Sneha told mid-day.com that she was at Kiran Rao’s house minutes before the announcement was made. “For almost two hours, we were discussing something about our future projects that we want to collaborate on. We had no clue what was transpiring. It was only after the meeting when we went our individual ways that we noticed the announcement. There were like so many calls and so many messages, and all of us were like, if we had seen it 5 mins ago we could have had a celebration together,” she laughs.
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Sneha said that for her marking her debut with such a talented cast alone was a dream come true moment. “Dreaming about the film going to the Oscars, itni toh aukat hai hi nahi”.
Talking further on the significance of the film’s selection, Desai shared, It just goes on to reinforce our faith and belief in the fact that it is great content that rules over everything else. The script is the greatest currency that the filmmakers have and then to take it on a next level is what magicians like Kiran Rao do. Films that have their soul in the right place find takers and they have an audience for themselves."
Will Laapataa Ladies connect with foreign audience?
The films has a story rooted in the rural regions of India. So will the themes and nuances of the film resonate with the audience outside India?
“I feel Laapataa Ladies has a very universal audience. It is about Indian villages, the rural landscape but the dreams, aspirations of the protagonists are so simple and innocent in nature that I feel that they will find a connect the world over," says Desai.
Recalling her experience of watching the film with a diverse audience at the Toronto International Film Festival, Desai said, “I sat in the audience with a knot in my stomach. I wondered whether the small jibes, minor sarcasm, small laughs, the traditions that are rooted in our society would be understood by the audience. But believe me, the kind of chuckles we got at every stage was identical to what we got in India. So, I think even while reading the subtitles, they could connect. So I genuinely feel that it has a universal appeal."
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