Biplab Goswami, who co-authored Laapataa Ladies with Sneha Desai, has responded to recent allegations of plagiarism. It was observed by some people on the internet that the acclaimed Hindi film, produced by Aamir Khan and directed by Kiran Rao, had similarities to an Arabic-language short film titled Burqa City. Clips from both films, juxtaposed to each other, were widely shared online some days ago. In an Instagram post on Saturday, Biplab Goswami shared a statement in response to the allegations, and also provided the ‘relevant documents’ to support his stance. “The screenplay for Laapataa Ladies was developed extensively over many years,” he wrote in his note.
Biplab added, “I first registered the film’s detailed synopsis, outlining the entire story with the working title ‘Two Brides’, with the Screenwriters Association on July 3, 2014. Even within this registered synopsis, there is a scene that clearly describes the groom bringing home the wrong bride and being shocked and stricken upon realising his mistake because of the veil, along with the rest of his family. This is where the story takes off. I had also clearly written about the scene of the worried groom going to the police station and showing the only photograph he had of his missing bride to the police officer, but the bride’s face was covered with a veil, resulting in a comedic moment. On June 30, 2018, I registered the feature-length script ‘Two Brides’ with the SWA. This script won the runner-up award at the Cinestaan Storytellers Competition in 2018. Again, in this screenplay, I had the scene of the policeman amused by the photograph of the veiled bride.”
He continued, “The concept of veils and disguises resulting in mistaken identities is a classical form of storytelling used for centuries by writers such as William Shakespeare, Alexandre Dumas and Rabindranath Tagore, among many others. Laapataa Ladies uses this mistaken identity form with entirely original and unique characters, setting, narrative journey, and social impact. The story, the dialogues, the characters, and the scenes—all stem from years of research and honest reflection. I was deeply invested in understanding the nuances of gender discrimination and inequality, rural power dynamics, and male chauvinism across both Indian and global contexts. Our story, characters, and dialogues are 100% original. Any allegations of plagiarism are completely untrue. These allegations not just undermine my efforts as a writer, but also the tireless efforts of the entire filmmaking team.
Thank You.”
Laapataa Ladies was controversially chosen as India’s official submission to the 2024 Oscars, over the acclaimed Malayalam-language film All We Imagine as Light, directed by Payal Kapadia. All We Imagine as Light became the first Indian film in three decades to earn a spot in the main competition section of the Cannes Film Festival, ultimately winning the fest’s second-biggest honour, the Grand Prix. It was considered a favourite to be chosen as India’s official submission for the Best International Feature category at the Academy Awards. Laapataa Ladies failed to score a nomination. The film featured Sparsh Shrivastava, Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel, and Ravi Kishan.
