Cinema has a way of telling similar stories in different voices and settings, across cultures and timelines. And that’s the beauty of parallel cinema, where stories feel almost identical yet unique in their own ways. One striking example is Laapataa Ladies. Directed by Kiran Rao and produced by Aamir Khan, the movie was India’s official entry to the Oscars in 2025. Laapataa Ladies was appreciated worldwide for its compelling story and satire. But do you know that two other films portrayed a similar tale years ago?

Before Laapataa Ladies gave us unforgettable characters like Deepak, Phool, and Jaya, two films titled Burqa City and Ghunghat ke Pat Khol told similar stories.

Related: Aamir Khan’s Rejected Audition For Laapataa Ladies: Why He Lost The Role To Ravi Kishan

Where ghunghat is replaced by a burqa

Directed by Fabrice Bracq, Burqa City is a 2019 Arabic short film based in a Middle Eastern city where Muslim women observe purdah or a veil. The film follows the lives of two couples who cross paths with each other in a marketplace. The men get caught in an argument when their cars bump each other. When the matter is resolved, they go back home with their burqa-clad wives. In an interesting plot twist, one of the men discovers he has come home with the wrong woman. The film features Omar Mebrouk, Chadia Amajod, Jalal Altawil, Malika Alaoui and Noman Hosni.

The parallel realities between Laapataa Ladies and Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol

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Ananth Mahadevan’s 1999 feature film, Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol highlights the concept of mass marriage in India. In the film, two brides get mixed up on a train and are stunned to discover that they have reached Mumbai with the wrong husbands. The movie challenges the conservative norms of Indian society, including the ghunghat practice. The similarity between Mahadevan’s film and Laapataa Ladies led to the audience questioning if Kiran Rao ‘copied’ the storyline.

Ananth Mahadevan’s take on Laapataa Ladies’

In a recent interview with SBB Xtra, Mahadevan addressed the rumours of Rao having copied his film. He said, “It’s stunning how two writers can think along the same lines.” Mahadevan added, “The writers of Laapataa Ladies have denied saying that they have watched my film. Moreover, YouTube deleted my film some time later… So, no controversy.” Mahadevan also revealed that his movie was inspired by his friend’s real-life story.

He shared an interesting snippet about the source of the idea for his film, Ghunghat ke Pat Khol. “Actor Farooq Sheikh, Satyen Kapoor and I were sitting on the sets of Chamatkar movie. So, Satyen Kapoor told us how he got married. He said he didn’t have time to even see his bride’s face. When they reached the railway station, Satyen stepped away to check the train schedule. When he returned, he was shocked to see his wife going off with some other man. She mistook a porter for her husband as she only saw his feet due to the long veil.” After listening to this strange incident, Farooq Sheikh asked Mahadevan, “Can you see a story in this conversation?” This ultimately planted the movie’s plot in Mahadevan’s mind.

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