Shahana Goswami on if 'Laapataa Ladies' narrative would have been different: The winds would have changed

Shahana Goswami talks about the film's journey to the Oscars, although it didn't make the cut. While 'Laapataa Ladies' was India's official entry, the Hindi-language film 'Santosh' made it through from the UK, raising questions about India's Oscar selection process. Goswami in conversation with India Today Digital talked about the buzz over 'Laapataa Ladies's' elimination from the competition.
Asked if she had anything to say regarding the Film Federation of India choosing 'Laapataa Ladies' ahead of international award-winning contender Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light', Goswami said that she wasn't even in the know-how of how the selection took place. "Honestly, I don't know the procedure of how films are chosen," she said. "I think it's the NFDC that decides, but I don't know what the criteria are or even the application process. So, I don't think I can comment on the process of selecting an official entry."

Goswami did admit to the social media chatter around 'Laapataa Ladies's' exit, and such reactions are just human nature. She said when it was selected, people were over the moon. "'Laapataa Ladies' has done superbly well.It may have been a slow burn in theatres, but when it was released on OTT, it just flew," she noted. Goswami added that the film touches on various themes with humor, and that the ongoing conversations are merely a commentary on the media and public opinions.
Reflecting on the hypothetical situation where 'Laapataa Ladies' had advanced and 'Santosh' had not, Goswami noted that the narrative would have been different. "The winds would have changed," she said. She, however, says these things are intangible and no one can explain why one film moved forward than the other. She thanked that 'Laapataa Ladies' moved this far and raised awareness of South Asian women representation in global film discussions. "Another short film, 'Anuja', is shortlisted, so just the fact South Asian women and their work are being recognized is an achievement," she said. "Although we don't need one platform to validate our work, it's amazing. More people will now watch our films."
Goswami said she was thankful to the Academy members who saw and voted for 'Laapataa Ladies', which many members of the team had been approached by in the wake of its release to express how much they loved the film. Acknowledging that, yes, 'Santosh' could still win an Oscar, Goswami insisted that 'Laapataa Ladies' journey, in itself, was a big win.