Sneha Desai gives FFI 'benefit of the doubt' amid 'Laapataa Ladies' Oscars selection debate

'Laapataa Ladies' screenwriter Sneha Desai is reacting to the controversy surrounding the selection of the Kiran Rao directorial by the Film Federation of India (FFI) as India's official entry to the 2025 Oscars. The 13-member jury of FFI was criticized over their selection, over the other 28 films which were also in the race.

The citation by FFI read: "Indian women are a strange mixture of submission and dominance. Well-defined, powerful characters in one world, a Laapataa Ladies (Hindi) captures this diversity perfectly, though in a semi-idyllic world and in a tongue-in-cheek way."

Many on social media have since criticized the statement, claiming it was going by the Academy's cheat sheet and picking 'progressive' themes.

But Sneha Desai spoke to PTI with a more nuanced view on the matter: She said that the citation might have been written by another person and didn't actually represent the opinion of the majority in the house. "Yes, they could have been a little careful, but I wouldn't want to read too much into it," she said. Despite all this criticism, Desai has decided to accord the federation the "benefit of the doubt."

Reacting to the fact that there were no women in the jury, Sneha said that 'Laapataa Ladies' being selected as the official entry, was "a wonderful thing."