Copyright gqindia
During her 16-year marriage to Aamir Khan, which ended in 2021, Kiran Rao wrote and directed Dhobi Ghat (2011) and produced another half-dozen or so films. But nothing announced her arrival as a formidable filmmaking voice quite like Laapataa Ladies, which released last year to unanimous and unprecedented praise. Like its creator, Laapataa Ladies hides a strong, unmistakably astute core beneath its seemingly simple and mild-mannered exterior. This charming movie about two young, newlywed women who get accidentally swapped during a train ride to their new husbands’ homes became an instant critics’ darling. Once it dropped on Netflix post its theatrical run, Laapataa Ladies found even more love and went on to become last year’s most adored Hindi film. Rao, who had stayed in the shadows too long, was finally having her moment in the sun. Women around the world felt seen after watching the film, Rao says at the recently held GQ Heroes summit. “Oddly, I feel this film made me feel seen. When I was making it, I felt that here was a chance for me to express all the things I have experienced… What marriage does to you, for example, or what it does to a woman’s identity. Do you actually feel like a complete individual who can do whatever you want?” the 51-year-old filmmaker asks. When asked about the slump Bollywood is currently facing and what solutions she can offer, Rao says, “Creatively, I feel filmmakers in Bollywood sometimes are looking to tell stories with some broad business in mind. It doesn’t feel authentic or come from a genuine place. The films that have done well—however despicable some of them might be—have genuinely come from a sense of someone’s conviction. We’ve been trying to appeal to everyone, instead of telling our own stories.” While most of us may have first heard of Rao when she married Khan—who she famously met on the set of Lagaan while working as an assistant director—her tryst with the movies had started earlier, having worked on films like Monsoon Wedding and Saathiya. In the 13 years between her two directorials; she served as the chairperson of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival; helped produce Khan’s path--breaking television show Satyamev Jayate, which focused on addressing urgent social issues; and played a key role in setting up and running the (now very successful) Paani Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation committed to empowering rural communities across Maharashtra to conquer drought and boost their livelihoods through sustainable agricultural practices. She also gave birth to Azad, now 13, whom she coparents with her ex-husband. Single now, Rao jokes that she “can’t recommend divorce enough”. She reveals that she has tried dating apps, but after one doomed date, she decided that the apps are not for her. Professionally, Rao seems determined not to take long gaps between directing films again. She recently directed a short for Lust Stories, the popular Netflix anthology franchise, and word on the street is that she’s ready with the script for her next feature, reportedly a genre film that she hopes to set up as an international collaboration. Rao is a true-blue cinephile who proudly straddles her indie cred—she recently served on the jury of the Shanghai International Film Festival—with an unwavering ambition to tell accessible, mainstream stories. She is that rare Bollywood filmmaker who discusses as passionately (and knowledgeably) the work of Federico Fellini and Ritwik Ghatak as she champions films by emerging Indian voices. Recently, she put her weight behind two acclaimed indie films, Stolen and Humans in the Loop, coming on board as executive producer to widen their reach. But what possibly endears the director to most is her refusal to take herself too seriously. From her quirky sense of style to her ever-changing hair colour, it’s evident she marches to the beat of her own drum. Kiran Rao has only gotten started—the sun’s out and it’s shining bright. Head of Editorial Content: Che Kurrien Hair & Make-up: Chriselle Baptista Art Director: Mihir Shah Entertainment Director: Megha Mehta Senior Entertainment Editor: Rebecca Gonsalves Visuals Editor: Shubhra Shukla Visuals Consultant: Deepraj Surve Fashion Assistants: Prerana Vasappanavara, Deepika Sharma Hair & Make-up Assistants: Akanksha Singh, Dinkle Gosrani
