Biplab Goswami, the credited writer of the 2024 film "Laapataa Ladies", has responded strongly to online plagiarism allegations linking his script to Fabrice Bracq's French short film "Burqa City" and Ananth Mahadevan's 1999 movie "Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol". In a detailed post on Instagram and X over the weekend, Goswami called the claims "untrue" and shared documents to support the originality of his work.

Social media chatter comparing "Laapataa Ladies" to "Burqa City" began after similarities in plot and characters were noted. "Burqa City" premiered at film festivals in 2019, while Goswami insists his script, originally titled "Two Brides", was registered with the Screenwriters Association (SWA) years earlier. 

Photo: Sheikh Mehedi Morshed

"I had got my story registered with the Screenwriters Association in 2014. I have proof then the full script was registered in 2018," he told the media. 

"No one asked me regarding the allegations. I didn't know comparisons were being made with 'Burqa City' until Saturday (April 5)."

Bracq, meanwhile, told IFP that he wrote his short in 2017, shot it in 2018, and screened it the following year. He expressed surprise at the plot overlap and said, "First of all, even before watching the film, I was surprised by how closely the pitch matched that of my short film... many aspects of my short were clearly present." 

Photo: Sheikh Mehedi Morshed

Among the scenes he highlighted were "the kind, loving, naive husband who loses his wife", a "violent and despicable" second husband, and "the scene with the police officer… surrounded by two sidekicks", as well as "the moment with the photo of the veiled woman."

However, according to documents Goswami shared, these same narrative elements already existed in his script registered with the SWA in 2014. "Our "Laapataa Ladies" team had a chat about these allegations and everyone was stressed," Goswami said. 

"As a writer, your credibility takes a hit when such accusations surface. What's truly disheartening is how easily people believe fabricated narratives without verifying the facts or even bothering to hear your side of the story."

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Biplab Goswami (@biplabgoswamicinema)

He added that the allegations are particularly painful because he had spent a decade developing the story. "It's disheartening how a single baseless claim can suddenly be taken as truth, shifting the entire narrative. It's deeply painful to witness."

This isn't the first time "Laapataa Ladies" has faced accusations of being derivative. Earlier, actor-filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan pointed to similarities between the film and his 1999 work "Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol". Goswami dismissed the claim, stating, "I know about this a bit. Honestly, this is my original story, it has no connection with any other story or novel. Ananth ji's claims are baseless."