Laapataa Ladies writer Biplab denies plagiarism claims

Laapataa Ladies

writer

Biplab Goswami

has broken his silence on plagiarism allegations levelled against the critically acclaimed film. Refuting all claims,

Goswami

issued a detailed statement and shared documentary proof to establish that the story, characters, and dialogues of Laapataa Ladies are entirely original.
Two Brides was registered with the Screenwriters Association in 2014
Responding to online comparisons with the 2019 Arabic film Burqa City, Goswami explained that the screenplay for Laapataa Ladies had been in development for years. He revealed that the film’s detailed synopsis, originally titled Two Brides, was registered with the Screenwriters Association (SWA) on July 3, 2014, while the feature-length script was registered in 2018.
He stated, “The screenplay for Laapataa Ladies was developed extensively over many years. I first registered the film’s detailed synopsis, outlining the entire story with the working title ‘Two Brides’, with the Screenwriters Association on July 3, 2014. Even within this registered synopsis, there is a scene that clearly describes the groom bringing home the wrong bride and being shocked and stricken upon realising his mistake because of the veil, along with the rest of his family. This is where the story takes off.”

Highlighting one of the comedic elements of the film, he added, “I had also clearly written about the scene of the worried groom going to the police station and showing the only photograph he had of his missing bride to the police officer, but the bride’s face was covered with a veil, resulting in a comedic moment.”
Goswami reiterated that the mistaken identity trope based on veils and disguises is a classical narrative device used by literary legends such as William Shakespeare, Alexandre Dumas, and Rabindranath Tagore. He clarified, “Laapataa Ladies uses this mistaken identity form with entirely original and unique characters, setting, narrative journey, and social impact. The story, the dialogues, the characters, and the scenes all stem from years of research and honest reflection.”
He further wrote, “On June 30, 2018, I registered the feature-length script ‘Two Brides’ with the SWA. This script won the runner-up award at the Cinestaan Storytellers Competition in 2018. Again, in this screenplay, I had the scene of the policeman amused by the photograph of the veiled bride.”

Kiran Rao backs Goswami
Calling the allegations “completely untrue,” he added, “I was deeply invested in understanding the nuances of gender discrimination and inequality, rural power dynamics, and male chauvinism across both Indian and global contexts. Our story, characters, and dialogues are 100% original.”
Goswami concluded his statement by saying, “These allegations not just undermine my efforts as a writer, but also the tireless efforts of the entire filmmaking team.” Alongside the statement, he also shared copies of his registration certificate with the Screenwriters’ Association.

Director Kiran Rao, who helmed Laapataa Ladies, reshared Goswami’s statement on her Instagram stories in support.

Released theatrically on March 1, 2024, Laapataa Ladies features Sparsh Shrivastava, Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel, and Ravi Kishan in key roles.