Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies is India’s official selection to Oscars 2025. Amid the celebration, Guneet Monga had a suggestion for the Film Federation of India. In an interview with a news portal before Laapataa Ladies’ selection, the head of Sikhya Entertainment urged them to send Indian films to the Oscars if they have an American distributor.
Guneet Monga on Oscars journey of Indian films
Taking a stand for Indian filmmakers, Guneet said having a U.S distributor makes the Oscars journey easier. According to reports, Laapataa Ladies doesn’t have a channel in America.
In Mid-Day’s interview before the FFI chose Laapataa Ladies for Oscars 2025, Guneet said, “If India has to choose a film for Oscars, it’s very important that you have an American distributor. Your journey there becomes easier.”
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She further added, “I say this to everybody, if India has to choose a film for the Oscars, it’s very important that you have an American distributor. The more solid American distributor you have, your journey there becomes easier. We can do it on our own, of course. We can spend loads of money, hire publicists… It’s very hard. Even Elephant Whisperers, I was there for over a month… I’m in awe of the big system that they’ve built there, the whole world shows up and puts their money, time, and energy into it.”
Guneet Monga urges FFI to send Indian films to Oscars if they have an American distributor
Laapataa Ladies is Aamir Khan Productions’ third film to be selected for Oscars after Lagaan (2001) and Taare Zameen Par (2007). Talking about Lagaan, which was the last Indian feature film to be nominated, Guneet shared, “Because Sony Pictures Classics distributed it. We miss this point. To every person, and to every journalist, I want to say, ‘Please send films that have US distributors.’ Netflix was there on Period. End of Sentence, and Elephant Whisperers. They have the mechanism, they know the work.”
Guneet cited the example of Shaunak Sen’s film, All that Breathes, and with the help of HBO, they could reach out to a wider audience for better visibility. She continued, “What I’m trying to say is, nominations are a very, very big deal. To win is out of a dream. The toughest part of the Oscars is to go from shortlist to nomination. There is work that needs to be done, which we don’t understand. The committee here constantly feels that we should send our best film, as if they are giving the award. But you have to send a film that has American distribution, period. It’s an American award.”
Guneet had backed Period. End of Sentence, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) – 91st Academy Awards. In 2023, Kartiki Gonsalves’ The Elephant Whisperers brought home the Oscars in the Best Documentary Short Film category. Guneet was associated with the Netflix project.