India has chosen Kiran Rao's comedy of errors Lord Laapataa (Lost Ladies) to represent the country in the 2025 Oscar race in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
The Hindi-language film, which premiered at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, beat out Payal Kapadia's Everything we imagine as lightwhich had been considered the favorite for the Oscar, after the enthusiastic reception at Cannes, where it won the festival's Grand Jury Prize.
But Rao’s feature has proved to be a hit with audiences on the festival circuit. The light satire follows Jaya (Pratibha Ranta) and Phool (Nitanshi Goel): two new brides, their faces hidden behind identical red wedding veils, both travelling on the same Indian train carriage for their nuptials, who are accidentally switched and end up at the wrong weddings, setting them on very different paths. Yash Raj Films has acquired the international distribution rights to the film, which was released on Netflix India after its local theatrical release.
Despite the country's long and rich cinematic tradition, Indian films have struggled in the Oscar race. Only three Indian films have received a nomination for Best International Feature Film, decades apart: Mehboob Khan's Mother India in 1957, Mira Nair Hello Bombay! in 1988, and Ashutosh Gowariker Lagan in 2001. SS Rajamouli's epic Telugu action adventure RRRRRReleased on Netflix, it was not nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, but it made history for India last year, winning the Oscar for Best Original Song.
The 96th Academy Awards nominations deadline is November 14. The shortlist for Best International Feature Film will be announced on December 17. Nominations will be announced on January 17, 2025. The 2025 Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 2.