After Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao’s film Laapataa Ladies, which served as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature at the 97th Academy Awards, was eliminated from the Oscars race, many individuals, including filmmaker Hansal Mehta and musician Ricky Kej, voiced their concerns on social media regarding the Film Federation of India’s (FFI) choice.
They suggested that Laapataa Ladies may not have been the strongest option and proposed that Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light would have been a more suitable selection. In response to the criticism, Jahnu Barua, the head of the FFI jury, defended the choice of Rao’s film while expressing criticism of Kapadia’s work, labeling it as “technically poor.”
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Barua remarked on the backlash, stating, “That response is quite unwarranted. Why should people express such opinions? It’s unfortunate.
People should respect the jury’s decision. I have had my films compete in various competitions; some won awards while others did not, but that doesn’t mean I should be negative about the process… We need to show respect for it.”
While Barua did not elaborate on why Laapataa Ladies did not advance in the Oscars race, he encouraged critics to consider the jury’s rationale for selecting the film to represent India. He said, “It’s important to realize that it was a democratic process, and the country should accept the outcome.”
He further explained, “The jury believed that recent films sent to the Oscars lacked a sense of Indian identity. A movie should represent the nation, and we felt Laapataa Ladies possessed the essential qualities needed to reflect the social chaos we experience effectively.”
Regarding Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, Barua stated, “The jury found her film to be technically lacking.”
Notably, All We Imagine As Light has received two nominations at the 2025 Golden Globes, including one for Best Non-English Language Motion Picture and another for Kapadia in the Best Director – Motion Picture category.
