Burqa City Director Fabrice Bracq REACTS To Similarity Controversy With Laapataa Ladies; Says, “Surprised By How Closely The Pitch Matched”

French filmmaker Fabrice Bracq, who made the 2019 Arabic short film Burqa City, has raised concerns about the Bollywood movie Laapataa Ladies. He believes that Kiran Rao’s popular film looks a lot like his short movie. Fabrice feels there are too many similarities between the two for it to be just a coincidence.

Burqa City Fabrice Bracq On Laapataa Ladies Being Similar

The issue gained attention after a video comparing scenes from both films went viral on social media. In the video, scenes from Burqa City and Laapataa Ladies are shown side by side, and viewers noticed how closely some of them match. This led many people online to wonder if Laapataa Ladies had copied or borrowed too much from the short film, sparking a debate about possible plagiarism.

Speaking about the controversy to India Today, he said, “First of all, even before watching the film, I was surprised by how closely the pitch matched that of my short film. Then I watched the film, and I was both surprised and shocked to see that, although the story had been adapted to Indian culture, many aspects of my short were clearly present. Notably – and this is by no means an exhaustive list – the kind, loving, naive husband who loses his wife, contrasted with the other husband who is violent and despicable. The scene with the police officer is also striking: a corrupt, violent, and intimidating policeman surrounded by two sidekicks. Of course, there’s the moment with the photo of the veiled woman.”

He added, “The scene where the kind husband searches for his wife in various shops is particularly revealing – he shows the shopkeepers a photo of his veiled wife, just like in the short film, and then the shopkeeper’s wife comes out wearing a burqa, almost like a nod to Burqa City. There’s also the similarity in the plot twist at the end, where we learn that the woman deliberately chose to run away from her abusive husband – a key narrative element in Burqa City.”

The French filmmaker concluded with, “And more broadly, the film carries a similar message about women’s emancipation and feminism.”

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Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies released in theatres on March 1, 2024. Set in rural India in 2001, the film follows two brides who get exchanged during a train journey, leading to a chaotic search by their husbands.

Starring Sparsh Shrivastava, Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel, and Ravi Kishan, it marked Rao’s directorial comeback after Dhobi Ghat. The film premiered at TIFF 2023, it received a standing ovation and later became India’s official entry for the 2025 Oscars in the International Feature Film category.

Also Read: Did Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies Copy Burqa City? Viral Clip Raises Questions

Manisha Karki

Manisha has established a reputation for insightful and engaging storytelling with over six years of expertise in the industry. With a deep passion for cinema, she brings a unique perspective to her coverage, making it a trusted voice in the entertainment world.