Laapataa Ladies was undoubtedly one of the most talked about films of the year 2024. Starring newcomers Nitanshi Goel, Sparsh Shrivastava and Pratibha Ranta, along with seasoned actors Ravi Kishan and Chhaya Kadam, the film marked Kiran Rao’s second project as a filmmaker 13 long years after her directorial debut Dhobi Ghat (2011). The film touched many hearts and made for a gripping watch, devoid of any melodrama. Co-produced by superstar and Kiran’s ex husband Aamir Khan, it received rave reviews on release and was even selected as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. Sadly, it was not nominated. Nevertheless, Laapataa Ladies made the country proud and made a place for itself in the pages of history. So, how did the project reach Kiran?

During a recent roundtable discussion with RJ Rohini, Kiran remembered, “Aamir told me one line of the story, because he was on the jury of a screenwriting competition.” She went on to share, “That one line was just so compelling that I was like, I want to do this, really badly. And I was really lucky that he offered it to me, to make. And I had been struggling a little bit like one ‘Laapataa Lady’ myself for so many years, trying to write and not kind of finding the right story to make my second film with, so… yeah! I mean, I think back to that day quite often.”

For all those who are now waiting for Kiran’s next film announcement, the director has promised that it won’t take 13 years this time. Kiran shared that she has been busy working on her next project and is in the midst of writing. The filmmaker teased, “Lot’s of things that I have been cooking. I don’t know what will come to the boil first.” Well, the audience is so ready!