Bollywood star Aamir Khan is back on the awards campaign trail as the producer of Lost Ladies (Laapataa Ladies), India’s entry for the upcoming Academy Awards.
Khan is no stranger to the Oscars having starred in Lagaan, the 2001 period drama that remains India’s third and final nominated film to date in the best international feature film category. “We’re hoping Lost Ladies will be the fourth,” says Khan, who is in London for the Bafta campaign, which will include in-person screenings – one hosted by Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron on December 5.
Directed by Kiran Rao, the story is set in 2001 and follows a young groom named Deepak who takes home the wrong bride after a mix-up on a train. Meanwhile, his new wife ends up lost in rural India, meeting oddball characters who take care of her. Behind the comedy of errors, the film also explores issues around the patriarchy and female empowerment.
“The film deal with really important subjects such as the patriarchy but with a very light hand,” says Khan. “The humour used in the film opens up audiences to ideas they may not have previously agreed with.”
The film is produced by Jio Studios, the content division of Reliance Industries Limited, alongside Aamir Khan Productions and Kindling Pictures. It premiered at Toronto last year before being released in India and key territories including the US and UK in March.
It began with a script that Khan saw while judging a screenwriting competition. “There were a number of things that really connected with me,” he says of that initial script. “It was very entertaining and showed how there is good in people where you may not except it. There is a lot of hope in this story.”
He immediately took it to Rao, not only a long-time collaborator – as an assistant director on Lagaan, a producer on Khan’s Dangal and Secret Superstar, as the director of 2010’s Mumbai Diaries – but also his then wife (the couple divorced in 2021).
“She is one of the finest directors I’ve ever worked with as an actor,” says Khan. “She is so honest and doesn’t allow you to deviate from the true moment. She is always very real with the material and had got a lot more stories to tell. I hope she will make a lot of great films for us.”
Khan himself came close to playing a key role in the film, police inspector Manohar, which was eventually played by prolific actor Ravi Kishan.
“I must confess that I was really keen to play the role of Manohar,” he says. “I did a screen test and Kiran loved it but we realised that me being in the film would tilt the balance and wouldn’t do justice to the material so we decided to go with Ravi, who did an excellent job. I will add that I asked for a lot of paan to chew in my screen test, which is something I was pleased to see remain in Ravi’s performance.”
Oscar selection
Much has been made of India’s selection of Lost Ladies over Payal Kapadia’s Cannes award-winner All We Imagine As Light, which had been hotly tipped for Oscar entry.
“I’m sure it would have been a valid choice,” says Khan. “But it’s difficult to choose between two films. I’m sure that’s a good film and I’m sure the selection committee would have had a tough time but this is the choice they made.”
“My view on awards for films is slightly different from others,” he adds. “In athletics, one person can run faster than the rest. In cinema, that’s not how it goes. It’s so subjective. I don’t ever take awards too seriously because how do you decide one person’s performance is better than another’s in different stories, working under different circumstances. So awards have to be taken with a pinch of salt.
“Having said that, we need to remember that the foreign language category of the Academy is probably the most difficult because you’re getting the best film from each country so you’re competing with around 80 really good films. It’s a tough competition to be in. And I’m glad Lagaan was nominated because it really brought the spotlight onto the film. It brings a lot of people who would have otherwise not heard of your film.”
Next up for Khan as an actor is Sitaare Zameen Par, directed by R.S. Prasnna, which will complete shooting in January.
As a producer, he is keen to make more features under his AKP banner and support new talent. “I’ve brought in someone to head my company, Aparna Purohit [Amazon Prime Video’s former head of originals for India and Southeast Asia].
“In the past, I couldn’t produce as much because I was also acting. With Aparna coming in, we can produce a lot more films. My aim is to be a platform for young talent – writers, directors and actors who may not have made it yet, who are still struggling. I want to provide a platform so films like Lost Ladies, with its new cast, can find support.”
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