Women Empowerment Takes Center Stage with ‘Laapataa Ladies’ Screening at Lokseva Bhavan

Bhubaneswar: In a special initiative to promote awareness about women empowerment, the Department of Women and Child Development, in collaboration with the Odisha Secretariat Association, organized a state-level screening of the award-winning Hindi film “Laapataa Ladies” (released internationally as Lost Ladies) at Lokseva Bhavan Friday.

Directed by Kiran Rao and produced by Kiran Rao, Aamir Khan, and Jyoti Deshpande, the 2023 comedy-drama stars Sparsh Shrivastava, Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan. The film narrates the story of two young newly-wed brides who get exchanged during a train journey to their husband’s homes, exploring themes of identity, societal expectations, and empowerment.

The screening drew 450 employees from various departments of Lokseva Bhavan. The event highlighted cinema’s power to influence thoughts and attitudes, with a focus on women empowerment and gender sensitivity.

The program was attended by Smt. Shubha Sharma, Principal Secretary of the Department of Women and Child Development, along with senior departmental officials and Shri Vivekananda Samal, President of the Odisha Secretariat Association. Officials emphasized that films like Laapataa Ladies serve as a medium to engage audiences with social issues and foster progressive thinking.

As part of this initiative, the department has decided that films focusing on social security and women empowerment will be screened on the third Saturday of every month, providing employees a platform to reflect on societal issues through cinema.