‘Laapata Ladies’ Writer Biplab Goswami Defends Against Plagiarism Claims in Exclusive Interview |

Despite ‘Laapataa Ladies’ receiving critical acclaim and winning hearts across the globe, the film’s success has been clouded by controversy, with allegations suggesting it bears a resemblance to a French short film titled ‘Burqa City’.
In this exclusive interview, Biplab Goswami addresses the plagiarism controversy and gives clarity on the timeline of the film’s development and the emotional toll of facing unfounded accusations.
“This entire situation has been extremely irritating and infuriating for me as the writer of ‘Laapataa Ladies’, which has been loved and embraced globally by audiences and critics alike. I am sure Kiran Rao Ji and the entire team of ‘Laapataa Ladies’ are also disheartened and annoyed by such accusations,” said the writer, highlighting the challenging time.
Afressing the controversy, Biplab said, “I watched Burqa City on a social platform just today to see for myself the plagiarism claims. Apart from minute elements, where is the similarity between his short film and our feature film ‘Laapataa Ladies’!? ‘Laapataa Ladies’ is an entirely different story with an entirely different cinematic treatment.”
He even admitted to liking the short film and added, “I appreciate Mr. Bracq as a creative person.”
However, he expressed his disappointment how without verification, ‘Laapataa Ladies’ was accused of plagiarism. “But there is a bitter aftertaste due to his false allegations and for those who supported and patronised him blindly from our country without verifying any of the claims,” he said.
Then, continuing on how situations are disturbing him, the writer shared, “Unfortunately, it goes without saying that after pouring years of dedication, sincerity, and hard work into ‘Laapata Ladies,’ such scrutiny and allegations are painful and sad for the team. I was also very annoyed by the fact that no one contacted any one of us for statements before running stories about allegations that are completely baseless and unnecessary.”
Further, stating the timeline, he said, “The facts that I have presented in my statement should be enough to clear doubts. My registration timeline clearly shows that my story and core concepts predate Burqa City, with formal registrations dating back to 2014. I have transparently shared detailed documentation—including my Screenwriters Association registrations—to clarify the originality of the story and scenes in question.
“Even given the timeline, I have every right to say that the concept and scenes of Laapata Ladies were copied by him. But, out of artistic integrity and humanity, I want to refrain from making such claims,” he concluded.