The so-called second film jinx might just be a myth. Last week, Kiran Rao’s sophomore feature, Laapataa Ladies, was selected as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards. The Film Federation of India (FFI) cited the film in a peculiar way, describing Indian women as a “strange mixture of submission and dominance”—a characterisation that doesn’t quite fit any woman, least of all Rao. Born in Bangalore to an army officer’s family, Rao grew up in Kolkata in the 1980s, attending Loreto House and La Martiniere schools—childhood years she once described as “magical.” Though new toys and clothes were rare luxuries, Rao had easy access to books through libraries, and her upbringing emphasized well-rounded development, with lessons in piano, tennis, and swimming. Following her academic interests, she pursued an undergraduate degree in Economics at Mumbai’s Sophia College for Women, but the lure of cinema soon called. Rao went on to earn a postgraduate degree in Mass Communication from Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University. It was during this time that she was introduced to Italian Neorealism, the French New Wave, and Iranian cinema — all of which broadened her cinematic horizons, as she told us recently. Her first job brought her in close proximity to the Oscars when future filmmaker Reema Kagti roped her in as an assistant director on Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan (2001). And now, we choose ‘Laapataa Ladies’ for the Oscars, says Kiran RaoInitially planned as a three-month shoot, it extended into a grueling six-month marathon in the heat of Gujarat’s Bhuj. Rao has reminisced about the experience, likening it to film school. “I was in charge of getting the actors into layers of clothes — it was quite an experience.”It was on the sets of Lagaan that Rao met Aamir Khan, though they reconnected later, during the shoot of Swades (2004), eventually leading to their relationship. During the filming of Rang De Basanti (2006), she penned her first feature, Dhobi Ghat (2010), which she nervously presented to Khan, fearing he might dislike it. Instead, it went on to earn double its production cost.Dhobi Ghat can be thought of as Rao’s love letter to Mumbai. Through its interconnected stories of an artist, a photographer, and a washerman with acting aspirations, the film explores the dreams and realities of life in the city. There’s a scene where a newly-married girl named Yasmin (meaning “jasmine flower”) documents her new life in Mumbai through video diaries—perhaps seeds being sown for Laapataa Ladies. The parallels between Yasmin in Dhobi Ghat and Phool, played by Nitanshi Goel in Laapataa Ladies, are unmistakable. Two flowers from different times, different gardens.After Dhobi Ghat, Rao’s creative output as a director slowed. Candid about feeling stuck in a “rut of overthinking,” she focused on producing during this period, backing films like Delhi Belly (2011), Talaash (2012), and Dangal (2016) under Aamir Khan Productions. Her return to the director’s chair, after a 13-year hiatus, with Laapataa Ladies rose above the hardship of making the hardest of films: ‘that second film’. Her efforts have paid off, with the film chosen as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars.However, this decision wasn’t without its share of debates. Some argued that Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light, a sensitive portrayal of two nurses in Mumbai, was a stronger contender. Additionally, criticisms emerged over the FFI’s ‘sexist’ citation of Laapataa Ladies and the lack of women on the jury, with many calling them the real “laapataa ladies” (missing women). But that’s a conversation for another day.As Kiran Rao navigates her return to the director’s chair, her journey continues to reflect a quiet strength and resilience that defies easy categorization—not unlike the women she chooses to portray on screen.
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