Did Laapataa Ladies Copy Burqa City? Netizens Call Out Plagiarism in Bollywood
Laapataa Ladies, produced by Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, and Jyoti Deshpande, was released on March 1 and received critical acclaim. The film gained recognition as India’s official entry to the Oscars 2025. However, it has recently been accused of plagiarism, with many claiming it resembles the 2019 Arabic short film Burqa City.
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Netizens Compare Laapataa Ladies to Burqa City
The controversy arose after a scene from Burqa City went viral on social media. Many users pointed out similarities between the two films, questioning whether Laapataa Ladies was an original creation.
Burqa City, directed by Fabrice Bracq, is a 19-minute satirical short film set in the Middle East. It follows a newlywed man searching for his wife after she is mistakenly swapped with another woman wearing the same burqa. The film highlights patriarchal norms and the suppression of women's identities.
Several fans alleged that Laapataa Ladies borrowed the same concept but replaced the burqa with a ghunghat.
Social Media Backlash
Criticism poured in as social media users called out Bollywood for lack of originality. One user commented,
"Bollywood never makes original films anymore. Everything is copied and sold as original work." Another wrote, "Plagiarism in India is not new. I thought Laapataa Ladies was original, but now I’m disappointed."
Kiran Rao's Lapata Ladies, India's official entry to the Oscars and projected as an original work, actually seems heavily inspired by a 2019 short film titled Burqa City.
Set in Middle East, the 19 min film follows a newlywed man whose wife gets exchanged due to identical… pic.twitter.com/b7GcHN2MmI
— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) March 31, 2025
Despite the controversy, some fans still praised the film’s storytelling and its popular song Sajni Re by Arijit Singh.
About Laapataa Ladies
Directed by Kiran Rao, Laapataa Ladies features Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, and Sparsh Shrivastav in lead roles, alongside Ravi Kishan, Chhaya Kadam, and Geeta Aggarwal Sharma. It was produced under Aamir Khan Productions, Kindling Pictures, and Jio Studios.
As the plagiarism debate continues, fans await an official statement from the filmmakers.
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