Filmmaker Kiran Rao said that she probably wouldn’t have been able to do justice to her new movie, Laapataa Ladies, had it been released in January as per the original plan. During that time, Kiran was involved in the wedding of her former husband Aamir Khan’s daughter, Ira. The movie was ultimately postponed to avoid competition from Dunki and Merry Christmas, but was eventually sandwiched between Shaitaan and Dune: Part Two anyway. In an interview, Kiran opened up about the challenges of releasing a film as a female director, and acknowledged that women are held to different standards as men.
Speaking to Sucharita Tyagi, Kiran said that she has experienced a certain bias both personally and professionally, although she has developed a thick skin thanks to all the abuse that came her way when she first became a public figure after marrying Aamir in 2005. “I don’t even know what scrutiny I’m under because I don’t even read all this. And I feel like that’s a really healthy way to live your life. Because there’ll always be people who find you odd-looking and strange and ask, ‘Aamir Khan ne kis chashmish aurat se shaadi kar li hai’. I’ve heard all kinds of things in my youth. I’m an individual and I have my own mind. Beyond a point, I just don’t care.”
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Kiran said that she is not interested in the gossip around her, which only increased after she and Aamir announced their divorce, and then drew more attention for their unusually friendly equation post-separation. “Women have been consciously or unconsciously raised to be non-confrontational. Be seen but not heard, that kind of thing. So, it’s important to have these conversations. This film can be a great place to start that,” she said.
Released to positive response, Laapataa Ladies was self-financed by Aamir and distributed via Jio Studios, Kiran said. Even though the movie played in most major cities in the country, it lacked a certain penetration necessary for its message to reach its target audience and for it to make a respectable total at the box office. Laapataa Ladies made a little more than Rs 15 crore through the course of its run.
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