Laapataa Ladies out of Oscars race: Chhaya Kadam, Sparsh Shrivastava react

Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies, India's official entry in the International Feature Film category, is out of the Oscars race. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the shortlists for 10 categories on Tuesday, and Laapataa Ladies did not make the cut, leaving many Indian film enthusiasts disappointed.

The film starred Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Ravi Kishan, and Chhaya Kadam in pivotal roles.

Speaking to us about the news, Chhaya Kadam, who played Manju Maai in the film, expressed her disappointment. "It is shocking and heartbreaking," she says, adding, “Mere bahut hopes the ki hoga hi (shortlist for Oscars). Mujhe yakeen tha aur mujhse zyada film industry ke logon ko yakeen tha, film ko pyaar karne waale logon ko tha, aur un sabne hi yakeen badhaya tha ki aap (the film) toh jaa hi rahe ho.”

Ask her if she has spoken to her co-stars or the film’s director, Chhaya shares that she had not yet reached out "Kyuki unko (Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan) abhi bahut saare calls aate honge."

"I just feel that if as actors we are feeling so upset about this news, I can't imagine how they must be feeling. However, I intend to speak with them in the evening," Chhaya tells us.

The news of Laapata Ladies failing to make the Oscars shortlist has sparked strong reactions across the Indian film industry. Grammy Award-winning musician Ricky Kej expressed his dismay on social media, calling the film the "wrong choice" to represent India at the prestigious awards. Director Hansal Mehta also took to X to mock the Film Federation of India, questioning their “strike rate” after Laapataa Ladies’s exit from the race.

When asked for her thoughts on the controversy, Chhaya, who is also part of the film All We Imagine as Light, says, "I'm a part of both the films. For me, both Laapataa Ladies and All We Imagine as Light are the best films. Both should have gone to the Oscars."

Meanwhile, Sparsh, who played the male lead, Deepak Kumar, says that he's not disappointed at all. "There's no sadness in me. Meri pheli film ka Oscar tak pahuchna hi mere liye bahut badi baat hai," he says. And while he says he would have loved for Laapataa Ladies to be shortlisted and eventually nominated, he shares "to be a part of the process has been special". "We put our heart and soul into the film, that's all we could have done. We respect the decision," Sparsh ends.