‘I Was Not Expecting An Oscar Entry’

‘Kiran
ma’am,
Aamir
sir
and
my
lovely
audience
have
given
us
wings
to
fly
internationally.’

Kiran
Rao’s

Laapataa
Ladies
was
announced
as
India’s
official
entry
for
the
Best
Foreign
Film
category
at
the
Oscars
on
Monday,
September
24e,
2024.

One
of
the
most
excited
voices
is
that
of
Nitanshi
Goel,
who
made
her
Bollywood
debut
in
one
of
the
film’s
lead
roles
of
Phool
Kumari.

The
17
year
old
couldn’t
contain
her
excitement
when
she
first
heard
the
news
about
the
film’s
Oscar
entry.

“I
felt
so
happy.
I
was
dancing
all
around
in
the
room,”
Nitanshi
says.

“I
was
brimming
with
gratitude.
I’m
really,
really,
happy
because
this
film
is
so
special
to
me.
Especially
my
character,
Phool,
has
received
so
much
love.

“I’m
really
thankful
to
Kiran
ma’am,
Aamir
sir,
and
especially
to
my
lovely
audience.
They
have
given
us
wings
to
fly
internationally.
The
way
the
film
is
being
appreciated
now,
not
just
in
India
but
also
abroad,
feels
incredible,”
she
adds.

Nitanshi
shares
a
memorable
moment
from
the
sets
when
her
confidence
was
boosted
by
a
WhatsApp
message
from
Aamir
Khan.

“Aamir
sir
was
technically
not
on
set,
but
he
used
to
send
us
messages
on
WhatsApp.
He
would
tell
us
if
a
shot
was
okay
or
if
it
needed
to
be
done
again,”
she
says.

“I
remember
on
the
second
day
of
shooting,
there
was
a
scene
I
was
a
bit
unsure
about.
I
wanted
some
validation
from
both
Kiran
ma’am
and
Aamir
sir.
Then
Kiran
ma’am
came
up
to
me
and
showed
me
Aamir
sir’s
message,
where
he
said,
‘Your
Phool
is
rocking
it.’
From
that
day
onwards,
I
felt
so
much
more
confident.
That
message
really
boosted
me,”
she
adds.

Nitanshi
feels
like
she’s
‘living
a
fairy-tale
life’
since
the
release
of

Laapaata
Ladies.

“I’m
living
a
fairy-tale
life.
Ever
since
the
release,
the
love
my
character
Phool
has
received
has
been
overwhelming.
People
meet
me
with
so
much
love
in
their
eyes,
and
it’s
not
just
the
audiences,
but
also
people
from
the
industry.
So
many
film-makers
and
actors,
whom
I
deeply
admire,
have
shown
great
appreciation
for
my
work.
It’s
truly
been
a
magical
experience,”
she
says.

Do
Read: ‘I
want
to
be
Lady
Shah
Rukh
Khan’

Pratibha
Ranta,
the
other
lead
actor
in

Laapataa
Ladies,
is
also
very
excited.

In
fact,
2024
will
always
remain
special
for
the
actor,
as
she
got
opportunities
to
showcase
her
talent
in
two
diverse
projects,

Heeramandi:
The
Diamond
Bazaar
and

Laapataa
Ladies.

“I
love
this
feeling.
We
were
not
expecting
it
but
were
definitely
hoping
for
something
of
that
sort
to
happen,”
she
says.

 

“It
has
finally
happened,
so
we
are
quite
happy.
In
a
day
or
two,
I
will
meet
Kiran
(Kiran
Rao)
ma’am
and
Aamir
sir
(Aamir
Khan)
and
the
entire
team.
I
just
want
to
say
that
I
am
grateful…Can’t
describe
this
feeling
in
words,”
she
says.

“It
feels
like
all
my
hard
work
has
paid
off.
You
achieve
one
goal,
then
you
tend
to
broaden
your
vision
and
set
more
goals.
I
think
that
is
happening
to
me
right
now.
I’m
able
to
see
a
spectrum
beyond
what
I
had
ever
imagined
for
myself,”
Pratibha
adds.

Kiran
Rao
also
expressed
her
gratitude
for
getting
a
chance
to
make
her
film
reach
a
global
audience.

“I
was
not
expecting
an
Oscar
entry
as
many
good
films
have
been
made
this
year.
Now
we
will
have
a
chance
to
show
this
film
to
a
much
larger
audience.
I
would
like
to
thank
the
audience
for
giving
so
much
love
to
this
film.
I
think
there
is
something
for
everyone
in
this
film,”
she
shares.

“The
film
was
made
on
the
issues,
expectations
and
aspirations
of
women.
When
such
a
film
becomes
the
country’s
official
entry
to
the
Oscars,
it
is
very
encouraging.
I
think
with
this,
it
feels
like
we
are
going
in
the
direction
of
finding
solutions
to
many
problems
faced
by
women.
People
have
appreciated
the
introduction
of
new
faces
and
talents
in
this
film.
It
took
us
four-five
years
to
make
this
film,
I
want
to
thank
the
whole
team
of
the
film…
Oscars

ka
raasta
lamba
aur
kathin
hota
hai
par
hum
apni
taraf
se
puri
koshish
karenge
(The
journey
to
Oscars
is
not
going
to
be
easy
but
we
will
give
it
all),”
Kiran
says.

Do
Read: Why
Did
Kiran
Rao
Struggle?