Kiran Rao aimed to make ‘Laapataa Ladies’ enjoyable and approachable

Kiran Rao believes that kindness exists in the world and is frequently overlooked in cinematic representations. Her newest film, “Laapataa Ladies,” is a humorous account of two brides in rural India who unintentionally switch places with each other while traveling by train. The director of “Dhobi Ghat,” who is making his feature film debut after a 14-year hiatus, said that viewers have been trained to anticipate the worse, particularly with regard to the protection of women. Though grounded and realistic, her film doesn’t get there.

To be honest, there were a lot of possible outcomes for this tale. Any other genre may have fit the bill. In an interview with PTI, Rao said, “We were aware that, even though we are touching on a number of topics, the goal is to entertain and make it an approachable and enjoyable journey.”

“I think the world is full with kindness. We see how many wonderful and hopeful individuals we have in our life when we take a close look at ourselves. We don’t see enough of the individuals we look up to on film, even though they are all around us,” she said.

Admittedly, the filmmaker found it difficult to maintain a light touch, but she recognized the chance to portray imperfect, recognizable, and “lovable and real” individuals.
Maintaining the sarcasm and humor while maintaining the reality required some careful balance. It’s as if you know these individuals,” she said.

Rao said that “nothing quite clicked” when she was working on the screenplay for her next movie. Until Aamir Khan, his ex-husband, came back after judging a screenplay competition.
“Aamir told me a little story about two females on a train who were switched when he got home. I was hooked after that. I realized that this was a fantastic chance for me as well as a fantastic tale.

To be very honest, I could never have created a tale like this on my own. Although I don’t usually write stories like this, I thought I could add a personal touch to it,” the woman said.
Eventually, Sneha Desai worked on the script and language as Biplab Goswami’s narrative was turned into a movie.

The film is being produced by Rao’s Kindling Productions and Khan’s Aamir Khan Productions, and it will be released on March 1.
Together, the ex-couple has been marketing the movie. Many are surprised to learn that the two maintain a close connection even after divorcing in 2021. However, as Rao pointed out, they have always established their own laws.

Maybe we haven’t followed anything extremely traditional in a lot of aspects. Nothing about it was in our plans. We take pleasure in each other’s presence and are pals. For over 17 years, our marriage has been happy and meaningful. You cannot break off a relationship due to an annulment or the dissolution of a social contract,” the speaker said.
It felt easily to them to stay friends and family, she added.

We still have close family ties and have a great deal of affection for one another. Working together is the true test of any relationship since it is really difficult. That will really validate for those who believe we are acting. It has been shown that we still like working together.
Rao said she thought the original “Laapataa Ladies” tale would work better if it was a little more “humorous, funny, and emotional.” The story was more in the drama category.

The wives are portrayed by actors Pratibha Ratna and Nitanshi Goel, while the unfortunate husband, Sparsh Shrivastav, brings home the incorrect wife.
“Laapataa Ladies,” which was filmed in a Madhya Pradesh hamlet, is set in 2001, a time when mobile phones were still considered a luxury and should be “given as dowry” in rural places, the actress said.
“It seemed more realistic that it would take somebody five days to find their way back home or to for someone to find it.”

The “paan-chewing” dishonest police officer played by actor Ravi Kishan has a conscience.
Kishan, according to Rao, adapted to the job easily. Khan had also tried out for the role, but both thought the Bhojpuri film star would suit in better.

“I have met many such police officers who chew paan,” Kishan used to remark. I was a huge fan of paan. “Karte hain, karte hain,” he exclaimed. The director said, “He had fun portraying the role.
The director said that she expects to start filming at some time this year and that she has a number of ideas that are gradually coming to “some sort of fruition.”

I want to avoid becoming ‘laapata’ for an extended period of time. Sadly, many in the film industry are aware of this and will tell you that it’s a waiting game. Though nothing is official yet, I have a few projects in the works that I’m hopeful will be successful by year’s end. Thus, perhaps, we’ll start filming in a year,” she said.