"Laapataa Ladies" writer denies plagiarising "Burqa City"

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"Laapataa Ladies" writer denies plagiarising "Burqa City"

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Writer: Heidi Hsia

Screenwriter Biplab Goswami says veiled identity plots are nothing new

7 Apr - "Laapataa Ladies" writer Biplab Goswami has denied accusations that the film had plagiarised an Arabic short film, "Burqa City", helmed by French director, Fabrice Bracq.

The accusation came after a video of the short film, which was released in 2019, went viral on social media recently, with many saying that the two films seemed to have similar structure and narrative.

In response to the accusation, Goswami took to Instagram to clarify the situation, saying that he first registered the film's detailed synopsis and outlines with the Screenwriters Association with the working title of "Two Brides" back in July 2014.

He stated that even in the registered synopsis, there is already a scene that describes the groom bringing home the wrong bride.

Many say that the scenes where the husband shows the photo of his wife to the police in "Laapataa Ladies" are similar to this scene in "Burqa City"

"On June 20, 2018, I registered the full-length script 'Two Brides' with the SWA. This script won the runner-up award at the Cinestaan Storytellers Competition in 2018. Again, in this screenplay, I had the scene of the policeman amused by the photograph of the veiled bride," he added.

Goswami said that the concept of veils and disguises in mistaken identities is nothing new, and has already been told multiple times throughout history by writers such as William Shakespeare, Alexandre Dumas and Rabindranath Tagore.

"Our story, characters, and dialogues are 100 percent original. Any allegations of plagiarism are completely untrue," he expressed.

Boswami (centre) dismisses allegations of plagiarism

Cinema Online, 07 April 2025

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