New Delhi: Fabrice Bracq, the director behind the film Burqa City, expressed his astonishment at the striking similarities between the storyline of Laapataa Ladies and his 2019 Arabic short film.

Earlier this week, a clip from Burqa City circulated on social media, leading many to highlight the parallels between the two narratives.

Biplab Goswami, the writer of Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies, refuted the allegations of plagiarism on Saturday. The film, which debuted in 2024, was selected as India's official entry for the 2025 Academy Awards.

Bracq revealed that he was unaware of Laapataa Ladies until April 3, stating, "When I learned about it, I felt both shocked and saddened, especially knowing it has achieved significant success in India and was even shortlisted for the Oscars. I had aspirations to adapt Burqa City into a feature film, but is that still feasible now?"

He further noted, "Before watching the film, I was taken aback by how closely the pitch resembled my short film. After viewing it, I was both surprised and shocked to see that, while the story was adapted to fit Indian culture, many elements from my short were evidently present."

Bracq expressed a desire to engage in a conversation with the production team of Laapataa Ladies, which is supported by Aamir Khan Productions, Rao's Kindling Pictures, and Jyoti Deshpande of Jio Studios.

In Burqa City, a newlywed man embarks on a quest to locate his wife, who has been mistaken for another woman wearing a burqa.

In a similar vein, Laapataa Ladies follows Deepak as he searches for his new bride, who is inadvertently swapped with another woman in a ghoonghat on a train.

Bracq mentioned that Burqa City was conceived in 2017, filmed in February 2018, and showcased at various festivals worldwide in 2019.

He pointed out that there exists "an exhaustive list" of similarities between the two films, from several plot points to the climactic twist.

Moreover, he emphasized that both films convey a similar message regarding women's empowerment and feminism.

In response, Goswami took to his official Instagram to declare the allegations as entirely "false."

He stated that he registered a detailed synopsis of Laapataa Ladies, initially titled 'Two Brides', with the Screenwriters Association (SWA) on July 3, 2014.

Goswami added, "On June 30, 2018, I registered the complete script 'Two Brides' with the SWA... Our story, characters, and dialogues are 100 percent original. Any claims of plagiarism are completely unfounded. These accusations not only undermine my efforts as a writer but also the hard work of the entire filmmaking team."