Ananth Mahadevan Questions IIFA Win for Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies, Calls It a Copy of His Film

Kiran Rao’s critically acclaimed film Laapataa Ladies made a remarkable impact at the IIFA Awards 2024, sweeping multiple top honors, including Best Original Story. However, filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan took issue with the wins, indirectly claiming that the film bore striking similarities to his 1999 film Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol.

GHUNGHAT KE PAT KHOL just made a clean sweep of something called IIFA awards… including BEST ORIGINAL STORY!! Of course, with another title… but then a rose is a rose by any name!

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Following the award announcements, Ananth Mahadevan took to Facebook to express his thoughts in a cryptic yet pointed manner. Sharing a poster of Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol, he wrote,

This statement hinted at his belief that Laapataa Ladies’ story was heavily inspired by his own film. To further prove his point, he posted a YouTube link to a scene from his film where an accidental bride swap takes place at a railway station—an event central to Laapataa Ladies as well.

The controversy deepened when a fan claimed that Aamir Khan Productions had allegedly removed all copies of Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol from YouTube. Another fan asked where they could watch the film, to which Mahadevan responded, “Only 1 hour available,” sharing the limited footage still accessible online.

This is not the first time the filmmaker has voiced concerns. In May 2023, he told Mid-Day, “It seems too much of a coincidence. I have seen Laapataa Ladies, and the beginning as well as many incidents are the same.”

Released in 2024, Laapataa Ladies follows two brides who are mistakenly swapped on a train. Featuring Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan, the film gained international recognition after its premiere at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.

Despite being India’s official entry for the 97th Academy Awards, Laapataa Ladies failed to secure a nomination. However, its IIFA triumph has reignited debate over its originality.