Jio Studios and Aamir Khan Productions' Laapataa Ladies was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on 8 September and earned rave reviews from the audience and critics alike.
The early reviews of the film suggest that Rao's comedy-drama is a whimsical and delightful treat with its foundations laid firmly on a feminist ethos. Here are some of the reviews:
Women getting lost in the boondocks of North India is the stuff of the darkest of nightmares. Laapataa Ladies subverts the premise and, instead, turns it into a positive, hopeful story of women being able to find themselves and their true potential.Namrata Joshi, Cinema Express
Built upon the learned religious- and social-based callousness of a partnership that should have its foundation poured with love alone, Lost Ladies uses its period-specific setting to reveal how those supposed imperatives can also be unlearned.Jared Mobarak, The Film Stage
Twitter also weighted in on it's love for the film. A user went on to add that the film got a standing ovation at the festival. She notes, "Absolutely loved #LostLadies/ LaapataaLadies at @TFF_NET today. A well-deserved standing ovation for the charming film that deftly touches on some important issues."
![Kiran Rao's film Laapataa Ladies premiered at TIFF.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2023-09%2F73efb582-dab0-4b1b-bf50-7a67f161e363%2F1000147910.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
Here are some other reviews:
![Kiran Rao's film Laapataa Ladies premiered at TIFF.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2023-09%2F5cd6b180-d9c1-407f-b629-3dc38e0042ee%2F1000147901.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![Kiran Rao's film Laapataa Ladies premiered at TIFF.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2023-09%2F7c051c7a-0d04-4a8b-8f6f-7901908d609c%2F1000147903.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![Kiran Rao's film Laapataa Ladies premiered at TIFF.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2023-09%2F680e6dd0-3c43-4c21-9830-21ecc74694e9%2F1000147901.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
The film is directed by Kiran Rao and written by Sneha Desai. It will release in theatres on 5 January 2024.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)