Is Laapataa Ladies a Copy of Arabic film Burqa City? Netizens Say, ‘We Send Copied Film to Oscars’

Laapataa Ladies Copy of Burqa City: Both films share messages about patriarchy, societal norms, and women’s identity.

Director Kiran Rao’s film Laapataa Ladies, India’s official entry to the Oscars this year, has come under fire after social media users accused the makers of the film of plagiarism. The controversy erupted after a scene from the 2019 Arabic film Burqa City went viral, drawing comparisons between the two movies. The viral clip questioned the originality of Rao’s film, as both plots revolve around a newlywed man searching for his wife after she is mistakenly swapped with another woman wearing a burqa.

Watch the video here:

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

Social media reactions have been divided, with some users accusing the film of copying the concept, while others argued that it might be merely inspired. One user on X remarked, “Abhi kuch nahi ho sakta… I was under the impression that it was original… good that this movie gave one beautiful song Sajni Re by Arijit.” Another questioned, “Inspired or copied?”

Here are few reactions by netizens on X:

Abhi kuch nahi ho sakta..I was under the impression that it was original..good that this movie gave one beautiful song Sajni re by Arijit.

— Enu_Gotthilla (@VijayarajB) March 31, 2025

Inspired or copied 😆

— CHiCorying Life (@FashionChicory) April 1, 2025

It’s intriguing that Lapata Ladies has drawn comparisons to Burqa City given the striking similarities in themes and narrative structure. If Rao’s film indeed mirrors key aspects of Burqa City, it raises valid questions about originality and the fine line between inspiration and…

— Sumit Arora (@kingsumitarora) April 1, 2025

This is not the first time Laapataa Ladies has faced plagiarism allegations. In July 2024, actor and filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan claimed that the film bore a striking resemblance to his 1999 debut directorial venture, Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol. That film featured a unique storyline about brides getting mixed up at a railway station, similar to the premise of Rao’s movie.

Laapataa Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao and produced by Aamir Khan, stars Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel, and Sparsh Shrivastava. Released in theatres on March 1, 2024, it tells the story of two brides accidentally swapped during a train journey, leading to a chaotic quest by their husbands to find them. Set in rural India in 2001, the film’s intriguing twists and turns failed to make an impact at the box office but gained popularity on Netflix.

Arabic Film ‘Burqa City’ and Kiran Rao’s ‘Lapata Ladies’

The 2019 Arabic film Burqa City, set in the Middle East, is a 19-minute satirical comedy about a newlywed man whose wife is accidentally exchanged due to identical burqas. He embarks on a journey to find her, highlighting the absurdity of a society where women are treated as interchangeable objects rather than individuals. The film critiques extreme patriarchy, gender-based restrictions, and the loss of identity. Kiran Rao’s Lapata Ladies carries a similar theme, replacing burqas with ghoonghats. Both films share messages about patriarchy, societal norms, and women’s identity. Notably, the Ravi Kishan police station scene in Lapata Ladies appears heavily inspired.

As the plagiarism controversy rages on, neither Kiran Rao nor the film’s producers have issued an official statement addressing the controversy.

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