Kiran Rao’s reviewed film ‘Lapata Ladies’, which was India’s official entry for 2025 Oscars, found himself at the center of a literary theft controversy. The 2019 French short film ‘Burka City’, directed by Fabris Brake, is being accused of drawing his base. A viral video comparing two films has provoked a hot debate online, in which Neatzenses question Rao’s originality.
Equality between missing ladies and burqa city
The striking equality between the two films has attracted the attention of cinefiles. The ‘Burka City’ follows a newly married person who struggles to find his wife, as he is accidentally swapped with another burqa-swap woman. In ‘Missing Ladies’, a similar situation comes out when the protagonist Deepak goes out in search of his bride, who accidentally exchange with another veil woman during a train trip.
Fueling further allegations is a similarity between the major sequences in both films. In ‘Burka City’, a police officer laughs when the hero presents a picture of his entirely veil wife, fails to identify her. Almost the same scene is present in the ‘missing ladies’, where Ravi Kishan’s character reacts in the same way when Deepak approached her with a picture of his snail-clad husband or wife.
Kiran Rao’s Lapta Ladies, Oscar’s official entry and an original work is estimated, actually inspired by the 2019 short film called Burka City.
Set in the Middle East, the 19 -minute film follows a newly married person, whose wife is exchanged due to the same … pic.twitter.com/b7gchn2mmi
– The Skin Doctor (@TheSkindoctor13) 31 March, 2025
Netizens react
The controversy has flooded a flood of reactions on social media. One user commented, “If Rao’s film actually reflects the major aspects of the city, it raises a valid question about the fine line between originality and motivation and imitation. It is necessary to identify the source of motivation, especially when it comes to international recognition like an Oscar.” Another wrote, “They simply convert the burqa into snail. Bollywood, especially the mine, lacks originality and negatively affects how the western countries consider India as India.”
About missing women
‘Missing Ladies’ has been widely appreciated for its story and performance. Starring Sparsh Srivastava, Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel, and Ravi Kishan, the film transports audiences into rural India in 2001, discovers the subjects of identity, patriarchy and social expectations. Built under Aamir Khan Productions and Kindleing Productions, it marked the return under the direction of Kiran Rao after ‘Dhobi Ghat’.
In 2023, the premiere was premiered in a standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which was celebrated by industry data including Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra and Vijay Verma.
