FFI slammed for calling Indian women 'strange mixture of submission and dominance' in Laapataa Ladies' Oscars citation

The Film Federation of India has faced strong criticism for using what many call ‘sexist’ language in its citation for Laapataa Ladies' selection for Oscars.

Kiran Rao’s critically-acclaimed film Laapataa Ladies was selected as India’s official entry for the 2025 Academy Awards on Monday. As India’s official Oscars entry, Laapataa Ladies joined a long list of films, some of which (like Lagaan and Mother India) have gone on to earn nominations at the prestigious awards. The selection was done by the Film Federation of India, but a line in its citation for the feminist film irked many fans and social media users. (Also read | Aamir Khan is over the moon about Laapataa Ladies getting selected as India's Oscars entry: Kiran Rao)

Pratibha Ranta in a still from Laapataa Ladies.

What did FFI say about Laapataa Ladies

The Film Federation of India (FFI) is a private body that has been entrusted to select India’s official entry for the Oscars for years now. On Monday, while announcing that it had selected Laapataa Ladies, the federation shared its citation, which read: “Indian women are a strange mixture of submission and dominance. Well-defined, powerful characters in one world a LAAPATAA LADIES (Hindi) captures this diversity perfectly, though in a semi-idyllic world and in a tongue-in-cheek way. It shows you that women can happily desire to be home makers as well as rebel and be entrepreneurially inclined. A story that can simultaneously be seen as one that needs change, and one that can bring about change. Laapataa Ladies (Hindi) is a film that can engage, entertain and make sense not just to women in India but universally as well.”

Posts from the bollyblindsngossip
community on Reddit

FFI comes under fire

The first line of the citation, which calls Indian women ‘a strange mixture of submission and dominance’ was not very well received by fans. After the citation was shared on social media, one person on X (formerly Twitter), wrote, “Its an atrocious statement. Complete disaster.” A comment on a Reddit post discussing the citation added, “That submission note is sooo badly written. A semi competent school kid will be able to write a way better note than that.”

Many laughed at the irony that the citation for a film that talks about women’s rights reads so regressive and patriarchal itself. “Dude who came up with "strange mix of submission and dominance" has definitely never had a girlfriend in his life,” quipped one person on Reddit.

After the citation went viral for all the wrong reasons, many pointed out a number of other errors, including grammatical and spelling errors. “Cannot comprehend that the first word itself is spelled wrong lol,” wrote one. Another added, “They should’ve just used ChatGPT.”

All about Laapataa Ladies

Directed by Kiran Rao, Laapataa Ladies stars newcomers Sparsh Srivastava, Pratibha Ranta, and Nitanshi Goel, alongside veterans Ravi Kishen and Chhaya Kadam. The film about two lost brides in 90s’ India was a commercial failure but received critical acclaim.