Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies has been selected as India’s official entry for the 97th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film Category, members of The Film Federation of India announced at an event in Chennai on Monday. The film is produced by Aamir Khan and stars Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Nitanshi Goel and Ravi Kishan, among others.

Other films that were considered for the official entry were Hanuman, Kalki 2898 AD, Aattam, All We Imagine As Light, Vaazhai, Thangalaan, Chandu Champion, Sam Bahadur, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, Maidaan and Joram.

In a statement about the film’s selection, Kiran said, “Cinema has always been a powerful medium to connect hearts, transcend boundaries, and ignite meaningful conversations. I hope that this film will resonate with audiences across the world, just as it has in India.”

She added, “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the selection committee and to everyone who believed in this film. ​It is indeed a great privilege to be selected from among such amazing Indian films this year - who are equally worthy contenders for this honor.”

Talking recently at the Mumbai Dialogues, an event organized by The New Indian Express, Kiran had spoken about the love that she has received for the film since its release. “This film has done unexpectedly well for me in terms of how people have been moved by it in different ways,” she said. “The only greater thing than that would be to get Rs 10,000 crore at the box-office or win an Academy Award."

Laapataa Ladies released in theatres on March 1 and was praised for its depiction of serious issues through humour in the storytelling. It will be released in Japan on October 4.

Last year, it was Jude Anthany Joseph’s Malayalam film 2018, which was sent as India’s official entry for the Oscars. It was, however, not nominated in the category. At the 95th edition of the Awards, SS Rajamouli’s RRR won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. At the same time, Kartiki Gonzalves and Guneet Monga’s documentary, The Elephant Whisperers, won the award in the category of Best Documentary (Short).