Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies received widespread praise, performed strongly on Netflix India, and earned Rs. 21 crore at the domestic box office. Kiran shared that the film’s theatrical attendance increased after its digital release.
She said, “It had a very short window before going to OTT, which we were worried about because the film was getting such good word of mouth and it was playing well in cinemas. The second it got on Netflix, it actually amplified our word of mouth and our theatrical revenue actually went up. It went on to do well in theatres for a good month after Netflix release before it petered off. And that’s pretty rare. That really shows you that these platforms aren’t really competitive.”
Kiran Rao has directed just two films in 14 years; and both left a mark. pic.twitter.com/nkHEHn86GK
— The Cinéprism (@TheCineprism) July 26, 2025
On The Streaming Show podcast, Kiran noted that Laapataa Ladies performed as well on Netflix as Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s 2023 hit Animal, despite lacking big stars or intense action. She highlighted that South Indian films like Pushpa, KGF, and Kantara have outperformed Hindi films recently. Kiran believes the Hindi film industry is at a disadvantage.
She said, “We are not, as a film industry, supported by any state government. Even in Uttar Pradesh, we’re not the state language, Bhojpuri is. In every other state, the state takes ownership and the film industry is treated with the same regard as any other industry.”
She described the Hindi film industry as “dhobi ka kutta,” meaning it lacks a clear identity or support. She added, “It feels really sad. We get all the brickbats. Everybody keeps talking about how bad Hindi films are and they’re never successful. Within the industry, we’re just a mammoth beast and there’s no one organization that can take decisions for everyone. So, we’re in a tricky spot.”
Kiran also shared lessons from promoting Laapataa Ladies, saying heavy marketing spending is often ineffective. She stated, “Marketing is really like shooting in the dark at this point,” and added, “Even cinemas, which are should be excited to show your trailers, don’t show them so you have to tag your trailer onto another film. You should have trailer programming in cinemas. I have to beg them to play my trailer. Sometimes, you have to pay them to play your trailer, just like you pay for an ad. It makes no sense to me.”
She called the theatrical distribution and exhibition system “broken,” noting that OTT platforms benefit from its flaws. Kiran said, “OTT is benefitting from a lot of failures of our cinema system.” However, she urged streaming platforms to share detailed data with filmmakers to help them create better content.
See Also: Kiran Rao Joins Adivasi Film Humans In The Loop As Executive Producer; Says ‘It Is Deeply Moving And…’