Laapataa Ladies writer denies plagiarism claims after similarities found to Arabic film: ‘Undermine my efforts’

A few days after the internet found similarities between Arabic film Burqa City and Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies, writer Biplab Goswami had this to say.

Laapataa Ladies writer Biplab Goswami issued a statement on Saturday responding to recent plagiarism allegations against his film. Numerous people on the internet recently found similarities between the Kiran Rao-directorial and the Arabic film Burqa City. Here’s what the writer said. (Also Read: Laapataa Ladies faces plagiarism allegations after similar scenes from Arabic film Burqa City surface online)

Laapataa Ladies is accused of being copied by Arabic film Burqa City.

Laaptaa Ladies writer denies plagiarism claims

Biplab issued a statement on social media claiming that he had registered Laapataa Ladies with the Screenwriters Association in 2014, well before the Arabic film was made. He also stated that the contended scenes were written in the registered synopsis. In 2018, he claimed to have registered the feature-length script, which he called Two Brides, with the SWA. It even won an award at the Cinestaan Storytellers Competition that same year, he says in the statement.

He then added that 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,” reads a portion of his statement.

Claiming that his story, dialogues, characters and scenes stem from years of research and ‘honest reflection’ apart from ‘understanding the nuances of gender discrimination and inequality’, Biplab ended the note with, “Our story, characters, and dialogues are 100% original. Any allegations of plagiarism are completely untrue. These allegations not just undermine my efforts as a writer, but also the tireless efforts of the entire filmmaking team.”

What happened

Recently, the Hindi film that was India’s official pick for the Oscars came under fire when several internet users posted scenes from Laapataa Ladies and Fabrice Bracq’s 2019 film Burqa City, pointing out the similarities between both films. Burqa City tells the story of a newlywed man who finds himself frantic searching for his wife after she is mistakenly swapped with another woman wearing an identical burqa. Kiran has yet to respond to these claims.