The journey has just begun”Lapata Ladies” But oscars 2025The director says Kiran Rao However, he admitted he was still in “a bit of shock” after learning his film would represent the country at the Academy Awards. Film Federation of IndiaThe troupe that selects entries for the Best International Film category at the Oscars on Monday chose ‘Missing Ladies’ as India’s official choice from among 29 films.
“The journey has just begun with this film being selected as India’s entry to the Oscars. It is a long and tough journey as it requires a lot of expertise, money and support and a campaign has to be strategised and carried out. We will do our best and try our best to take this film to the Oscars,” Rao said in an interview to PTI.
The filmmaker said she thought it was a prank when she first received the call, but she is “happy and humbled” by the honour of representing the country through “Missing Ladies”. She has produced the film with her ex-husband through Kindling Pictures. aamir khan and Jyoti Deshpande of their banner AKPPL and Jio Studios.
He said, “I didn’t have a moment to breathe and absorb it all. But when we got the news I spoke to Aamir and some of my actors and team. It’s a moment of collective joy and disbelief! We have put so much into this film.”
“Missing Ladies”, starring Nitanshi Goyal and Pratibha Ranta, is a heartwarming and empowering story of two brides set in rural India in 2001 who are accidentally switched while travelling on a train. It also features Sparsh Shrivastava, Ravi Kishan, Chhaya Kadam and Geeta Agarwal Sharma.
Based on a story by Biplab Goswami, screenplay and dialogues by Sneha Desai and additional dialogues by Divyanidhi Sharma, the film was released in theatres on 1 March and received good reviews.
And now that the 13-member selection committee headed by Assamese director Jahnu Barua has unanimously selected “Missing Ladies” for the best international category at the Oscars, Rao is hopeful that the film will appeal to international audiences as much as it did to the domestic audience.
“We are grateful for this recognition and excited for the journey ahead… It is a moment of collective joy and disbelief! We have put so much of ourselves into this film… The first step for all of us is to pool our collective expertise and create a plan and also learn from those who have walked this path before.
“Though it is a costly undertaking, we hope to build the right support system within the industry and through international forums to promote the film effectively,” he added.
The director said when he learnt that “Missing Ladies” was going to represent India at the Oscars, the first person he called was Khan.
He said, “Aamir was the first person I spoke to. My producer, the person who found the script for me. We congratulated each other.”
Rao said Khan’s experience and deep understanding of the international film scene, stemming from the promotional campaign for his 2001 film “Lagaan”, would come in handy.
“Lagaan”, based in the pre-independence era, was the last Indian film to enter the top five nominations in the Best International Feature Film category (earlier called Best Foreign Film) at the Oscars 2002.
Before this, only two other films had made it to the final five and they were Nargis starrer “Mother India” and Mira Nair’s “Salaam Bombay!”
“I can only pray and hope that I follow in the footsteps of Lagaan and be nominated in the top five… Aamir has been through this process before, and his insights will certainly help us make an informed decision. His guidance will be a huge asset to us as we navigate the road ahead,” said Rao, who worked as an assistant director on “Lagaan.”
When the Ashutosh Gowariker-directed film made it to the Oscars, she recalled being “cheering from the sidelines during that incredible journey.”
“It was inspiring to see how the team worked at the Oscars and made such an impact. I learned a lot from that experience, which will definitely help shape our approach this time around,” he added.
Rao said the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, where “Missing Ladies” had its world premiere, proved to be a “fantastic launchpad” for the film.
He said, “This gave us exposure to a huge market in North America. All the other films and filmmakers coming there heard about the film and we got such a good reception there that it gave us a lot of confidence in our marketing in India and also in taking it to other countries.”
She is now gearing up for the film’s release in Japanese theaters on October 4.
“The journey has just begun with this film being selected as India’s entry to the Oscars. It is a long and tough journey as it requires a lot of expertise, money and support and a campaign has to be strategised and carried out. We will do our best and try our best to take this film to the Oscars,” Rao said in an interview to PTI.
The filmmaker said she thought it was a prank when she first received the call, but she is “happy and humbled” by the honour of representing the country through “Missing Ladies”. She has produced the film with her ex-husband through Kindling Pictures. aamir khan and Jyoti Deshpande of their banner AKPPL and Jio Studios.
He said, “I didn’t have a moment to breathe and absorb it all. But when we got the news I spoke to Aamir and some of my actors and team. It’s a moment of collective joy and disbelief! We have put so much into this film.”
“Missing Ladies”, starring Nitanshi Goyal and Pratibha Ranta, is a heartwarming and empowering story of two brides set in rural India in 2001 who are accidentally switched while travelling on a train. It also features Sparsh Shrivastava, Ravi Kishan, Chhaya Kadam and Geeta Agarwal Sharma.
Based on a story by Biplab Goswami, screenplay and dialogues by Sneha Desai and additional dialogues by Divyanidhi Sharma, the film was released in theatres on 1 March and received good reviews.
And now that the 13-member selection committee headed by Assamese director Jahnu Barua has unanimously selected “Missing Ladies” for the best international category at the Oscars, Rao is hopeful that the film will appeal to international audiences as much as it did to the domestic audience.
“We are grateful for this recognition and excited for the journey ahead… It is a moment of collective joy and disbelief! We have put so much of ourselves into this film… The first step for all of us is to pool our collective expertise and create a plan and also learn from those who have walked this path before.
“Though it is a costly undertaking, we hope to build the right support system within the industry and through international forums to promote the film effectively,” he added.
The director said when he learnt that “Missing Ladies” was going to represent India at the Oscars, the first person he called was Khan.
He said, “Aamir was the first person I spoke to. My producer, the person who found the script for me. We congratulated each other.”
Rao said Khan’s experience and deep understanding of the international film scene, stemming from the promotional campaign for his 2001 film “Lagaan”, would come in handy.
“Lagaan”, based in the pre-independence era, was the last Indian film to enter the top five nominations in the Best International Feature Film category (earlier called Best Foreign Film) at the Oscars 2002.
Before this, only two other films had made it to the final five and they were Nargis starrer “Mother India” and Mira Nair’s “Salaam Bombay!”
“I can only pray and hope that I follow in the footsteps of Lagaan and be nominated in the top five… Aamir has been through this process before, and his insights will certainly help us make an informed decision. His guidance will be a huge asset to us as we navigate the road ahead,” said Rao, who worked as an assistant director on “Lagaan.”
When the Ashutosh Gowariker-directed film made it to the Oscars, she recalled being “cheering from the sidelines during that incredible journey.”
“It was inspiring to see how the team worked at the Oscars and made such an impact. I learned a lot from that experience, which will definitely help shape our approach this time around,” he added.
Rao said the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, where “Missing Ladies” had its world premiere, proved to be a “fantastic launchpad” for the film.
He said, “This gave us exposure to a huge market in North America. All the other films and filmmakers coming there heard about the film and we got such a good reception there that it gave us a lot of confidence in our marketing in India and also in taking it to other countries.”
She is now gearing up for the film’s release in Japanese theaters on October 4.
Patralekhaa recalls her audition days, working with Vijay Varma for IC 814 and husband-critic Rajkummar Rao
“We’re hoping for more international releases after that. It was great to start the international journey with Toronto last year. Thanks to that, we have an understanding of what we should do, how we should take the film forward on its Oscar journey.”
