'Laapataa Ladies' out of Oscar: 'Wrong choice to represent India', says Ricky Kej about Aamir Khan backed film

Aamir Khan’s Laapataa Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao, failed to make the Oscars 2025 shortlist for Best International Feature Film. Despite active campaigning in the US, the film did not advance. Grammy winner Ricky Kej criticized the choice, calling it unsuitable for representing India on a global stage

Amrita Ghosh

First Published Dec 18, 2024, 9:03 AM IST | Last Updated Dec 18, 2024, 9:03 AM IST

Aamir Khan's production Laapataa Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao, has been eliminated from the Oscars 2025 race. The film, renamed Lost Ladies for international audiences, was India's official entry for the Best International Feature category. However, when The Academy revealed its shortlist for the category on Tuesday, the film did not make the cut.

Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej was among the first to respond to the news. Sharing his thoughts on social media platform X, he expressed that Laapataa Ladies was not the right choice to represent India at such a prestigious platform. He stated that while the film was well-made and entertaining, it was not suitable for the competitive international feature category.

Kej commented that India continues to make the same mistake year after year by selecting the wrong films for the Oscars. According to him, the country should prioritize movies that reflect uncompromising artistic cinema, regardless of their budget or star power, rather than choosing mainstream Bollywood films that may not resonate with Academy voters.

The musician also remarked that the film’s promotional poster might have contributed to its dismissal by voting members, as it likely failed to create the desired impression.

Out of the 85 countries and regions eligible for the Best International Feature category, 15 films advanced to the next round of voting. While Laapataa Ladies was not among them, Santosh, a Hindi-language film produced in the United Kingdom, secured a spot on the shortlist.

Laapataa Ladies was selected from a pool of 29 films, which included notable contenders like the Bollywood blockbuster Animal, the Malayalam National Award-winning Aattam, and the Cannes-recognized All We Imagine As Light. Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao had actively campaigned for the film in the United States, organizing special screenings to promote it.

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Meanwhile, All We Imagine As Light has been a strong contender in the international awards circuit, earning nominations at the Golden Globe Awards 2025 and Critics Choice Awards 2025.

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