Laapataa Ladies out from Oscars race: Hansal Mehta slams Film Federation of India’s selection process : Bollywood News

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Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has publicly criticized the Film Federation of India (FFI) after Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies, India’s official entry for Best International Feature at the 97th Academy Awards, failed to make the Oscars shortlist. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Mehta expressed his disappointment, questioning the selection process and the track record of the FFI.

Laapataa Ladies out from Oscars race: Hansal Mehta slams Film Federation of India's selection process

Laapataa Ladies out from Oscars race: Hansal Mehta slams Film Federation of India’s selection process

Mehta shared a screenshot of the shortlisted films in the Best International Feature category and remarked sarcastically, “Film Federation of India does it again! Their strike rate and selection of films year after year is impeccable.”

Film Federation of India does it again! Their strike rate and selection of films year after year is impeccable. pic.twitter.com/hiwmatzDbW

— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) December 17, 2024

Ricky Kej Joins the Criticism: ‘Wrong Choice’ for India’s Oscars Entry

Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej also weighed in on the issue, calling Laapataa Ladies the “wrong choice” to represent India at the Oscars. Kej took to X to express his views, stating, “When are we going to realise… 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!”

He added, “Unfortunately, we live in a ‘Mainstream Bollywood’ bubble, where we cannot look beyond films that we ourselves find entertaining. Instead, we should just look for good films made by filmmakers who are uncompromising in their art… low budget or big budget… star or no star… just great artistic cinema.”

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

In September 2023, the Film Federation of India, led by Jahnu Barua, selected Laapataa Ladies as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature category. However, despite its selection from a list of 29 films, 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 is still some hope for India at the Oscars. Shahana Goswami-starrer Santosh, directed by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, remains in contention as the United Kingdom’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.

Also Read: Laapataa Ladies out from Oscars 2025 race: Grammy-award winner Ricky Tej calls Aamir Khan-backed film “wrong choice”; says, “We live in a ‘Mainstream Bollywood’ bubble”