Kiran Rao’s charming satire ‘Laapataa Ladies’ might have captured hearts and critical acclaim, but now it finds itself in the middle of a plagiarism controversy, and social media recently lit up with comparisons between the film and a 2019 French short film titled ‘Burqa City’ — and the conversation has only grown louder.

The French short’s director, Fabrice Bracq, who hadn’t even heard of ‘Laapataa Ladies’ until people began pointing out the similarities, has now broken his silence.

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In a chat with IFP, Bracq admitted that when he finally watched the film, he felt “both shocked and saddened.” Not because the film wasn’t good—he even acknowledged its success—but because he believes it hits a little ‘too’ close to home.

Bracq explained that ‘Burqa City’, which he wrote in 2017 and shot in 2018, had screenings in festivals as early as 2019—including two in India. One of them, the Auroville Film Festival, even gave the film an award.

 

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His main concern now? He had always hoped to expand ‘Burqa City’ into a feature film, something he feels may no longer be possible with ‘Laapataa Ladies’ already out in the world and basking in success.

What exactly are the similarities? According to Bracq, quite a few. Both films revolve around a mistakenly swapped veiled bride, a well-meaning but naive husband, a violent and abusive one, and—interestingly—a corrupt police officer. There’s even a near-identical twist at the end: the woman who supposedly “lost” had, in fact, chosen to escape her abusive marriage.

Also Read: INTERVIEW: Kiran Rao on ‘Laapataa Ladies’ and sparking change through cinema

Bracq was quick to point out the narrative parallels, saying, “There’s also similarity in the plot twist at the end, where we learn that the woman deliberately chose to run away from her abusive husband – a key narrative element in ‘Burqa City’.”

While he’s not rushing to take legal action or cry foul just yet, Bracq did say he would like to speak with the team behind ‘Laapataa Ladies’, suggesting a conversation might be the best place to start.

On the other side of the story, ‘Laapataa Ladies’ writer Biplab Goswami has come forward with a firm rebuttal. In a statement issued this Saturday, he clarified that the script of ‘Laapataa Ladies’ registered with the Screenwriters Association (SWA) back in 2014, and later as a feature-length version titled ‘Two Brides’ in 2018.

“These allegations not just undermine my efforts as a writer,” he wrote, “but also the tireless efforts of the entire filmmaking team.”

It’s worth noting that Rao’s directorial effort has been India’s darling this season—not just critically but also commercially.