Exclusive! Laapaata Ladies' Sparsh Shrivastava and Nitanshi Goel on the Kiran Rao's directorial being India's Official Entry for the 97th Academy Awards: It is magical

In a momentous announcement, Laapaata Ladies has been selected as India's official entry for the 97th Academy Awards. Minutes after the announcement, actor Sparsh Shrivastava, who plays Deepak Kumar, expressed his elation, saying, "It's completely magical. I think that's the word. I never expected the film would go this big. And then to the Oscars. Let’s hope we win it. Just a few days ago I was talking to my casting director whether or not we would go to the Oscars. And then he called me today and told me ‘Bhai jaa rahi hai Oscars’."

Nitanshi Goel, who plays Phool, also shared her joy, stating, "I manifested this entry. I am brimming with gratitude. The Oscars sound surreal. I am the happiest person today. It is due to the audience who gave us the audience gave wings. Hopefully we will dance our way to Oscars."

As India's official entry, Laapaata Ladies will compete in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars 2025. This recognition underscores the film's universal appeal and the growing influence of Indian storytelling on the global stage.

The official entry selection process, conducted by the Film Federation of India, considers factors such as cinematic excellence, cultural significance, and international appeal. Laapaata Ladies has already garnered critical acclaim and festival recognition, making it a strong contender.

The 97th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 12, 2025.

The movie is directed by Kiran Rao. Talking about it, an ecstatic Kiran told us, “I was hoping that Laapataa Ladies would be selected by the committee, but honestly, I didn’t expect it. My first reaction was utter disbelief! It’s only after my phone started pinging non-stop that I realised what had happened. I spoke to Aamir (Khan, co-producer) as soon as it was confirmed, and then others from our team - Ram Sampath, Sneha Desai, Chhaya Kadam, Ravi Kishan and Divynidhi Sharma. It has been quite overwhelming. This has been such a great year for Indian films and there were so many brilliant films in the mix. It’s a tremendous honour for our entire team.”
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