After a tweet on the social media platform 'X' triggered speculations as to whether the core concept of Laapataa Ladies was lifted from a French-Arabic short film from 2019 called Burqa City, the Kiran Rao film's scriptwriter Biplab Goswami issued a statement on his social media handle on Saturday to rubbish the plagiarism allegations which he called "completely untrue."
He claims that "the screenplay for Laapataa Ladies was developed extensively for many years" and that he "first registered the film's detailed synopsis, outlining the entire story with the working title 'Two Brides' with the Screenwriters Association in 2014."
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He also added that the scences pointed out by social media users were incorporated in the synopsis itself, and said, "The concept of veils and disguises resulting in mistaken identities is a common trope that has been used for centuries, listing out writers like William Shakespeare and Rabindranath Tagore as examples. Laapataa Ladies uses this mistaken identity form with entirely original and unique characters, setting, narrative journey, and social impact.”
Goswami claims that his story, dialogues, characters and scenes are "100% original" and stem from "years of research and honest reflection." The process also required him, he says, to understand the "nuances of gender discrimination and inequality, rural power dynamics, and male chauvinism across both Indian and global contexts."
He concluded his note with the line that the allegations "not just undermine my efforts as a writer, but also the tireless efforts of the entire filmmaking team.”