Nowadays, there are very few films that thoroughly impress the audience with their content, writing, and performance. Laapataa Ladies directed by Kiran Rao became one of those rare films that received praise from both critics and audiences, and everyone enjoyed their time at the movie. This was Kiran Rao’s second film after Dhobi Ghat. During a recent conversation with Hauterrfly, the director opened up on what took her so long to make the second film. She spoke about the other responsibilities in her life that needed more attention, and how she enjoyed her motherhood.
Kiran Rao made her debut film Dhobi Ghat in 2011, and Laapataa Ladies released in 2024. In a conversation with us, she spoke about her 13-year gap in filmmaking and opened up about her journey on how she found her way back into storytelling. Kiran Rao said, “To some extent, it was the second film syndrome, once you have taken all those risks and personally put yourself out there and you are known as a filmmaker, what do you do next? It’s probably the hardest decision for any filmmaker because you have to top your first, surprise your audience and show them everything that you are capable of and that tends to put a lot of pressure on the director. So you will find a lot of directors taking their time to make their second film, maybe not 13 years but some time. That was in play, I was writing and trying hard to finish a script that I was happy to make.”
Kiran Rao also highlighted the other responsibilities as a woman that she had to juggle during those 13 years. She said, “What we don’t talk about enough is the fact that women also have to juggle between several other things, and it tends to take up a lot of your emotional creative space. I very happily gave that to my child, as I had Azad the same year that Dhobi Ghat was made, and I genuinely enjoyed motherhood. I had my child after many years of struggle. So I knew, I wanted to enjoy that and that satisfied me enough to not make me miss films for some time. However, I was still writing and was keen to make something.”
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Laapataa Ladies’ director also shed light on how women are conditioned to put other aspects of their lives before careers. She said, “There is something about how women are conditioned, as you do end up putting your family first, your children first, parents first, and the health of everyone around you before yourself. I think, I did fall prey to that, but I did end up championing other people’s films. I worked for MAMI, Dangal. Secret Superstar behind the scenes because I wanted to nurture. As a woman, I found it hard to be selfish and say no, I am cutting off from everything, including my child to make a film. I also was a bit lost, and looking for the right subject to make, and the story of Laapataa Ladies came along in 2018. Perhaps those stories were not ready to be made at that time, but now I feel ready to make those stories.”