Film Federation India (FFI) head Jahnu Barua reacted to Laapataa Ladies getting out of the Oscar race and said that the film had all the right elements. He also called Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light to be ‘technically poor’.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Jahnu spoke about the backlash that the jury is facing for selecting Laapataa Ladies as India’s official entry in the place of All We Imagine As Light. He said, “That is very uncalled for actually. Why should people say such things? It is very unfortunate. People should try to accept it as the jury’s decision. I have had many of my films go to many competitions, at some places they were awarded and at some places they failed to win. That doesn’t mean I should have a negative review of that process. We should be respectful towards the process.”

He added, “People need to understand that it was a democratic process that one has to go through. And the country needs to accept whatever the verdict is. The jury felt that the films which have gone to the Oscars in the last few years lacked Indian-ness. A film needs to represent the nation. We felt that Laapataa Ladies had all the right elements, and presented the social chaos we go through brilliantly.”

Speaking about All We Imagine As Light, he said, “The jury felt that her film was very poor technically.”

Payal’s film recently received two nominations at the Golden Globes 2025, with the director becoming the first Indian female filmmaker to have been nominated in the category of Best Director – Motion Picture.