Laapataa Ladies plagiarism row: Kiran Rao directorial accused of copying Arabic film, Burqa City

Kiran Rao`s Laapataa Ladies

Kiran Rao's highly appreciated and much-loved film Laapataa Ladies has found itself in the middle of a controversy. The movie, which received much appreciation from moviegoers and critics alike, is now being accused of copying its script. Recently, a clip of the Arabic film Burqa City surfaced on social media, leaving netizens baffled and questioning whether Kiran Rao has plagiarized its script for her film Laapataa Ladies.

Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies is copied?

Burqa City revolves around a newlywed man's search for his wife after she mistakenly gets replaced due to an identical burqa. As the video of the Arabic film went viral, netizens started questioning Kiran Rao. One wrote, "Nothing that Bollywood produces seems to be an original work of art. They are all brazenly copy-pasted from somewhere else, shamelessly billed as original work."

"Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies, India's official entry to the Oscars and projected as an original work, actually seems heavily inspired by a 2019 short film titled Burqa City," another user wrote.

A third user commented, "It screams duplicity and is sad to see copied/inspired work like Laapataa Ladies presented as original for the Oscars. They also conveniently shifted from a Muslim to a Hindu context in India just to fit a narrative, which feels disingenuous and unfair."

"It's intriguing that Laapataa Ladies has drawn comparisons to Burqa City, given the striking similarities in themes and narrative structure. If Rao's film indeed mirrors key aspects of Burqa City, it raises valid questions about originality and the fine line between inspiration and plagiarism," another comment read.

About Laapataa Ladies

Laapataa Ladies is a story set in 2001 in rural India about two young brides who get separated during a train journey and what happens when a police officer takes it upon himself to probe the missing case.

Directed by Kiran Rao and produced under the banners of Aamir Khan Productions, Kindling Pictures, and Jio Studios, Laapataa Ladies was released in theatres on March 1, 2024. It starred Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Ravi Kishan, and Chhaya Kadam. On November 12, a new poster for the film was unveiled with the title Lost Ladies. It highlighted a change for international audiences, as the Hindi word Laapataa was translated to its English word, Lost.