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Kiran Rao returned to the director’s chair with her latest offering ‘Laapataa Ladies’, which earned Rs 27.66 crore worldwide upon its theatrical release in March this year. She recently reflected on the commercial outcome of the movie and expressed that it was a box office failure. Speaking to Faye D’Souza, Kiran Rao shared, “In some ways, both these films (Dhobi Ghat and Laapataa Ladies) haven’t done great at the box office.Dhobi Ghat, in fact, did some big business for its time. Ten-15 years later, Laapataa Ladies didn’t do that much more than Dhobi Ghat. So, in some ways, I do feel that sense of failure. By box office metrics, we weren’t a success. In the conventional sense, we didn’t do hundreds of crores, or even ₹30, 40, 50 crore. Failure is the way to put it. I do feel responsible that the film didn’t do that well at the box office.”
Expressing that she was let down with ‘Dhobi Ghat’ too, Kiran added, “I felt it a lot during Dhobi Ghat because we didn’t have any alternate mediums, we didn’t have OTT. So it didn’t get a lot of audience. I do feel that film was different for its time, and very unusual for a theatrical release back then. But other than that, not really. I haven’t felt a deep sense of having failed at something.” Tables turned for Laapataa Ladies when it was released on OTT eight weeks later and it received a hearty applause from the audience. The film was against the backdrop of societal taboos and weaved attributes of care, wisdom, honesty, and strength, celebrating the multipurpose roles women play in Indian society.
Kiran also described her struggles as a filmmaker and shared, “I think failure in the sense that I felt that everyday failure. In 10 years, I’ve been working relentlessly. I’ve had really busy days continuously. After my first film, I thought my second film would come soon. But that soon just didn’t come. It got me on a daily basis. The empty page, the inability to put that full stop and say ‘the end.’ It was something I really struggled with in these 10 years. I’m sure most creative people have to face that sense of failure a lot when they don’t achieve something soon enough or they don’t achieve it at all.”‘Dhobi Ghat’ was released in 2010 and explored the lives of four individuals from diverse backgrounds whose paths intersect in Mumbai. Arun (Aamir Khan), a reclusive artist, moves into an old flat in the city. He meets Shai (Monica Dogra), an American banker, and their one-night stand leads to unexpected consequences. Meanwhile, Munna (Prateik Babbar), a dhobi (washerman) with dreams of becoming a Bollywood actor, becomes friends with Shai. The film beautifully captured the emotional connections that emerge amidst urban chaos
Expressing that she was let down with ‘Dhobi Ghat’ too, Kiran added, “I felt it a lot during Dhobi Ghat because we didn’t have any alternate mediums, we didn’t have OTT. So it didn’t get a lot of audience. I do feel that film was different for its time, and very unusual for a theatrical release back then. But other than that, not really. I haven’t felt a deep sense of having failed at something.” Tables turned for Laapataa Ladies when it was released on OTT eight weeks later and it received a hearty applause from the audience. The film was against the backdrop of societal taboos and weaved attributes of care, wisdom, honesty, and strength, celebrating the multipurpose roles women play in Indian society.
Kiran also described her struggles as a filmmaker and shared, “I think failure in the sense that I felt that everyday failure. In 10 years, I’ve been working relentlessly. I’ve had really busy days continuously. After my first film, I thought my second film would come soon. But that soon just didn’t come. It got me on a daily basis. The empty page, the inability to put that full stop and say ‘the end.’ It was something I really struggled with in these 10 years. I’m sure most creative people have to face that sense of failure a lot when they don’t achieve something soon enough or they don’t achieve it at all.”‘Dhobi Ghat’ was released in 2010 and explored the lives of four individuals from diverse backgrounds whose paths intersect in Mumbai. Arun (Aamir Khan), a reclusive artist, moves into an old flat in the city. He meets Shai (Monica Dogra), an American banker, and their one-night stand leads to unexpected consequences. Meanwhile, Munna (Prateik Babbar), a dhobi (washerman) with dreams of becoming a Bollywood actor, becomes friends with Shai. The film beautifully captured the emotional connections that emerge amidst urban chaos
