Kiran Rao is probably on cloud nine, and she should be. Her second directorial venture, Missing Ladies, has been selected as India’s official entry for the upcoming Academy Awards 2025. While the world is currently gushing over her for making the comedy-drama film, she praised the team for being a part of the successful film. In a recent interview, she also spoke about her three favourite scenes from the film starring Nitanshi Goyal, Sparsh Shrivastava, Pratibha Ranta, Abhay Dubey, Chaaya Kadam and Ravi Kishan.
While speaking to NDTV, the filmmaker expressed her happiness on taking the first step towards bringing home the prestigious international award. Apart from this, Kiran Rao also spoke about three scenes from the film that are close to her heart. The first scene on her list is the last scene in which the two female characters Phool Kumari (played by Nitanshi Goyal) and Jaya Singh (played by Pratibha Ranta) meet. She said that since the audience doesn’t see the two together for most of the film, it is a special one and one of her favourite scenes.
Next comes the night scene in which the women of the house have dinner together. Talking about this, the director of Dhobi Ghat said, “It was a very cold night and we lit a fire. It was great to shoot and it shows a lot of sisterhood among women.” The last but the most special scene is the one in which Manju Maai (played by Chhaya Kadam) has a heart-to-heart talk with Phool at her tea stall and tells her the truth about life and gives her a brief course on how the world works.
A few hours ago, Kiran too had taken to her social media to express her happiness that Missing Ladies has been selected as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards. In her emotional note, she said that this recognition is a testament to the tireless hard work of her entire team whose dedication and passion brought this story to life. She also hoped that the comedy-drama will resonate with audiences across the world just as it did in India and will receive the love and appreciation of cinema lovers.
Further in her official note, Rao thanked her producers, Aamir Khan Productions and Jio Studios, for their unwavering support and belief in her vision. The filmmaker also took the opportunity to praise her team and said that it has been a privilege to work with such a passionate and talented team of professionals who share her commitment to telling this story. “I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the entire cast and crew, whose immense talent, dedication and hard work made this film possible. This journey has been one of incredible collaboration and growth,” Rao said in her note.
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According to the Hollywood Reporter, Missing Ladies from India has been selected in the Best International Feature Film category of the 97th Academy Awards to be held in 2025. The film was competing with 29 films including Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, Karan Johar-backed Kill, Kalki 2898 AD, Shrikant, Chandu Champion, Maidaan, Sam Bahadur, Article 370 and many more.
So far, only three Indian films have received nominations in the Best International Feature category – Mehboob Khan’s 1957 film Mother India, Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! in 1988 and Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan in 2001.
Also read: Missing Ladies: Nitanshi Goyal tells Kiran Rao ‘Ma’am you have fulfilled many dreams’ as comedy-drama goes to Oscars 2025; celebs shower love
