Kiran Rao’s sophomore film, Laapataa Ladies (2023), navigates the delicate balance between hope and despair to craft an engaging tale of fate and empowerment. Structured around two female newlyweds who board the same train, the screenplay sheds light on the oppressive conditions of patriarchal values. Each of the sequences is designed with a sharp eye for humor and poignancy as the narrative unfold like a series of comically absurd events. 

Laapataa Ladies — now streaming on Netflix — premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival was theatrically released in March 2024. Screenwriter Sneha Desai recently spoke with me about how the idea of the film emotionally resonated with her.

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Dipankar Sarkar: What was your journey to becoming a screenplay writer?

Sneha Desai: I never started out wanting to be a writer. I was a theatre actor. I have worked on more than 2,000 shows on the Gujarati stage. I also wrote a lot of plays that I acted in. So, I’ve been primarily a theatre actor and a writer. The natural progression was writing for television, and luckily I created a good name for myself. The goodwill translated into a lot of work, and I got handpicked for a couple of films. I had gone to narrate one of the films I had written [for] Junaid Khan, the son of Aamir Khan. Since it was to be his debut film, Khan and Kiran Rao sat for the narration. They liked the work that I had done, and later offered me the story of Laapataa Ladies to develop into a screenplay. That’s how I became a screenplay writer. So, it has been more a matter of chance, a great stroke of luck and an accidental aspiration that has led to me becoming a screenplay writer.

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DS: You have written theatre plays, television series and now a screenplay for a film. How would you define your experiences in each stream?

SD: Theatre, television and films are three completely different mediums and require great positioning of content. The grammar of all three streams is extremely different. Theatre is a live medium. You have to keep adjusting your pitch according to the kind of audience that is watching the play. Television is a daily affair. It needs an episode to be telecast every single day. So, it gives you great discipline because you have to write and create an episode every single day, no matter whether you feel inspired or not, whether you are ill, whether you are feeling fine, whether you have guests at home, whether you’re traveling, whether you’re in the country or out of the country. There are simply no excuses. So, I think television is a great disciplinary stream. On the other hand, film is a very wide canvas. The possibilities of translating the written word onto the screen are almost infinite. The production values can keep changing, and the visuals can keep changing. To be prolific in all three streams requires great acumen, great adjustment and great compartmentalization of mind. 

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DS: Laapataa Ladies is adapted from Biplab Goswami’s story “Two Brides.” How did you come on board as the screenplay writer?

SD: “Two Brides” was part of Cinestaan India’s original Storytellers Contest. Khan happened to be one of the jury members. It won the second prize, and then Khan acquired the rights to the story. It was, I think, after a couple of years that the story was offered to me. They wanted me to come on board as the screenplay and dialogue writer. Biplab has written a wonderful story; the beats were in place — the ethos, the heartland, most of the characters. All of it was so beautiful that writing the screenplay and dialogues just came about organically.

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DS: Could you elaborate on the changes or adaptations you made during the development process to bring Laapataa Ladies to the screen?

SD: There have been a few changes and adaptations that we made to Biplab’s story. The title, for one, changed to “Laapataa Ladies.” The tone and the tenor of Biplab’s story were slightly different. We made it a little larger. We made it a little more entertaining. The comic factor and the satire were added to make the story more universal and identifiable. Certain characters, like Manju Mai (Chhaya Kadam), were not there in the original story. But while we started developing the screenplay, we felt the need to incorporate more characters. Those are the changes that we’ve made. So, more than changing Biplab’s story, I would say that it’s just a natural progression of a story to a screenplay.

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DS: How did the contribution of Divyanidhi Sharma as an additional dialogue writer enhance the film’s overall quality?

SD: Divyanidhi, being such a prolific writer himself, added much, much more than just the dialect and consistency of tone to the film. The characters were sharpened, the dialogue was sharpened, and Manohar’s (Ravi Kishan) character was better etched. It helps to have a competent writer come in and give an impartial neutral overhaul to the existing draft. It was just an absolute pleasure to have him come at the end and fine-tune the overall quality of the film.

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DS: Laapataa Ladies takes place in Nirmal Pradesh and the name of Deepak’s (Sparsh Shrivastav) village is Suryamukhi. What was the purpose behind such fictitious names?  

SD: Well, the idea of keeping fictitious names was, of course, one that we did not want to insinuate that such a thing could happen in only such a part of the country or the heartland. We did not want it to be specific to a certain area of our country. India is a place where such errors could occur anywhere. So, the idea to set the story in Nirmal Pradesh was to cater to a wider audience in the sense that the story of swapping brides, the brides getting lost or women losing their identities could happen just about anywhere in the country. Despite the location, the essence of the story and its ethos would remain the same. We named Deepak’s village “Surya Mukhi (Sunflower).” It was specifically crafted because we wanted the name of the village to be that of a flower, to add to the confusion. Both Phool (Nitanshi Goel) and Pushpa (Pratibha Ranta) mean flowers. So, the continuous comic element of people asking her whether it was called Mogra (Arabian jasmine), Champa (Plumeria alba), Chameli (chameli), Kaner (Nerium oleander) or Dhatura was trying to identify a flower as a thing of beauty, a thing of fragrance. But when it comes to quality, a sunflower rises above them all. It is one flower that doesn’t immediately come to mind. So, that’s how we are conditioned to think of women in our society as well. We think of them as beautiful. We think of them as someone who adds flavor and fragrance to our lives, someone who beautifies our existence by being a partner. We don’t think of them as people who could be providers, front runners or have an identity of their own. They could be celebrated for their virtues way beyond beauty and fragrance.

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DS: The ghoonghat (veil) catalyzes the confusion and chaos in Laapataa Ladies. Jaya also uses it to deceive the police. What is its narrative purpose?

SD: The use of veils in the film was just a medium to shape and advance the narrative. There was no political or social comment that we wanted to make on ghoonghat, per se. So, it’s just a device that helped us take the story forward. We did not want any political comment on the burka or the ghoonghat. We very consciously stayed away from that fact. 

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DS: Phool is stranded at an unsafe railway station, yet she forms a friendly bond with people working in a kiosk. On the other hand, Jaya finds herself in a household where the women are rooted in archaic values. How do the challenges faced by these two women in their respective environments define them?

SD: Phool and Jaya were effortfully designed to be two very different women. Phool is the naive, shy and demure one between the two. Jaya is the one who is way more dynamic in her being. Within the constraints of their lives, their upbringing and the challenges faced in their respective environments are also extremely different. Phool is the one who is gaining experience, who is becoming worldly wise, and whose eyes are opening to the ways of the world. Jaya is the one who’s already a little more aware. She is an instrument in bringing change to the lives of women that she is now encountering in Deepak’s family, which includes his mother, his sister-in-law and his grandmother.

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DS: Deepak and Pradeep (Bhaskar Jha) have different outlooks and perspectives towards women. While the former character is compassionate and empathetic, the latter is depicted as opportunistic and toxic. As you were developing the two contrasting husbands, what character arcs did you have in mind?

SD: Deepak and Pradeep were again designed specifically to be chalk and cheese. While stereotypes like Pradeep exist almost everywhere, we wanted Deepak to be compassionate and empathetic. We wanted him to be the kind of person who probably does not have too much agency or too much say in matters of family, orthodoxy and social reform. At the same time, he is such a loving, caring and empathetic person that he organically does what is right. Despite not being the most literate or dynamic individual, he ensures that his loyalty and love for Phool remain unaffected. His duty towards Jaya is to give her the life that she wants and to ensure that she reaches the place she has aimed for. So, Deepak was designed as a person who may sound meek or look weak but is a very silent champion for the women in his life.

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DS: Deepak’s grandfather, (Pankaj Sharma), who worked as a security guard in Calcutta for over two decades, is in a state of unresponsiveness. He sleeps with his eyes open and occasionally screams jaagte raho (stay awake). Besides providing humor in Laapataa Ladies, what role does he play within the story?

SD: Deepak’s grandfather is basically in a trance-like state. He’s a person who is tethered between consciousness and the subconscious. Every single time that you go through the film, when he screams jaagte raho (stay awake), a major turning point in the film is about to happen. At times, you may feel it is a call to stay alert against something wrong that might happen. At times, it’s also a call to silence your impulse, because that’s a time when something progressive is happening — a good thing is happening, and one needs to be alert for the good as well as the bad things in life. He also stands for the latent wisdom that is there in our elders, whom we unfortunately relegate to the corners of our houses on khaats (cots) and don’t listen to. But at every poignant moment in our lives, in our social transformation, when the family is going through an emergency or good times and bad, the voice of wisdom, the voice of our elders, always acts as an eminent, guiding force in our lives. That is what Deepak’s grandfather [stands] for. I hope that all of us have the gumption to follow that ancient and traditional wisdom, which has been honed over centuries by our ancestors.

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DS: Manju Mai, an independent woman who refused to tolerate the abuses of her husband and son, rebukes Phool for her naivety. Later, however, she employs her and allows her to stay at her place. How was Manju’s character introduced and developed in the script?

SD: Manju Mai’s character is introduced in the screenplay by Kiran Rao. It was not there in the initial draft of the story that was given to me. Rao felt that we needed one wonderful character who would balance Phool. Jaya, who had her own story to tell, had a different flavor to her. Phool, as I said, is the shy, demure one. Jaya is the more intelligent and dynamic one. Manju Mai is brilliantly balanced between the two of them. She is somebody who has experience, who has wisdom, and who has a little bit of bitterness in her. She has braved the storms of life and society and has come out braver at the end of it. She has chosen a life for herself, which is a brilliant lesson in how women ought to conduct themselves in times of distress. There are times when one has to let go of people that we love to overcome the toxicity that they bring to our lives. She turns out to be a very staunch, very strict, but brilliant mentor to Phool, who needs a voice like that in her life. Phool has grown up seeing her sisters, her mother and her grandmother as docile and submissive. But when she encounters a woman like Manju Mai, who readies her for the world, there is a very different kind of Phool that we see. She is the proverbial manure that brings growth and development to Phool’s life. So, that’s how Manju Mai’s character was developed and introduced in the script. 

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DS: Phool earns her first income when the kalakand (sweet) she prepares is instantly sold, instilling confidence in her. Meanwhile, Jaya secure her sister’s college seat by selling jewelery. What role does the newly earned financial freedom play in Phool’s life?

SD: Financial freedom plays an important role in the lives of Phool and Jaya, and not just the two of them, but [also] in the life of every living individual, be it a man or woman and any age group. So, the idea that Phool ties the money that Manju Mai gives her for making kalakand at the same place where she earlier ties the khoicha (traditional pouch to ward off evil and ill beings) shows the progression of her belief system. Women need to aspire to financial independence in every way they can. It can provide a great boost to dormant confidence and afford you the luxury of saying no to things you do not approve of.

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DS: Shyam Manohar is portrayed as a corrupt police officer. However, a twist in his behavior towards the end of Laapataa Ladies suggests that he may not be entirely evil. What prompts his moral awakening towards Jaya’s plight?

SD: Shyam Manohar is depicted as a corrupt cop, and indeed he is one. There was no intention to mislead the audience by projecting him selectively. When Jaya hands him the kangan (gold bangles) and the mangal sutra (wedding thread), he greedily accepts them. He also keeps the bribe money given by Pradeep and ensures that whatever he’s earned through his smarts does not go down the drain. Thus,[Shyam’s] corruption and greed remain unchanged. But there is another side to him too. Whenever we come in contact with a person with good intent, it awakens the dormant goodness within us. Shyam realizes that Jaya has gone through great difficulties and great lengths to achieve her aspirations. All she wants to do is study. Given an opportunity, she can go very far in life. So, it is Jaya and her innocent aspirations that prompt this change in Shyam’s character.

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DS: What are your future projects?

SD: I am the associate screenplay and dialogue writer for the feature film Maharaj, which is going to be released on Netflix later this year. It is directed by Siddharth Malhotra and produced by Yashraj Films. I’ve written one more film for Aamir Khan Productions which will hopefully be released next year. I am writing a film for Madhu Mantena, produced by Phantom Films, with shooting scheduled to begin next month. A Gujarati film that is in the pipeline is quite an exciting project. It’ll be my first film in my mother tongue. These are the film projects I am currently involved in. Alongside, I am also writing a lot for television, which includes Pushpa Impossible, Wagle Ki Duniya and Dabangii for Sony LIV. So, both quantitatively and qualitatively, very good work is underway.

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DS: What would be your suggestions to someone who wants to pursue a career as a screenplay writer?

SD: One primary suggestion I could give to somebody aspiring to pursue a career as a screenplay writer is to read extensively. Outstanding content is now readily available at our fingertips. So watch a lot — both good and bad work — to understand what to do and what to avoid. Keep your eyes and ears open, observe keenly and make notes whenever possible. Don’t always rely on memory. A good idea, a good thought, a good word, a good sentence or a great dialogue often evaporates into thin air. Always, put your ideas down on paper. The greatest currency that a writer has is a bound script. So, maintain consistency in your writing. Dedicate yourself to writing a few pages every day, regardless of whether they are good or bad. Remember, you can always edit a bad page, but you can’t edit a blank one. So, form some kind of desk discipline, ensure that you can deliver good work and stick to the deadlines. Above all, believe in the power of your pen and the sincerity of your intentions.

Dipankar Sarkar (@Dipankar_Tezpur) is a graduate in film editing from the Film and Television Institute of India and currently based in Mumbai. As a freelancer, he frequently contributes to various Indian publications on cinema-related topics.

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