Laapataa Ladies
About this Album
The soundtrack of Laapataa Ladies (2024, directed by Kiran Rao) is a folk-inflected collection composed by Ram Sampath, with lyrics primarily by Prashant Pandey. The album draws on the sounds of rural central India while incorporating unexpected global instruments, including a West African kora played by Senegalese musician Vieux Cissokho and Appalachian mandolin and dobro by Bennett Sullivan.
The film -- a feminist comedy-drama set in a fictional rural India circa 2001 -- follows two newly-wed brides accidentally exchanged on a crowded train. Director Kiran Rao gave the music team a clear mandate: the songs needed to reflect simple, village-rooted language, honest and direct, free of heavy metaphors. The result is a soundtrack that feels at once deeply specific to its setting and emotionally expansive beyond it.
The full soundtrack was released on February 16, 2024, preceding the film's theatrical release on March 1, 2024. The album won the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director (Ram Sampath) at the 70th Filmfare Awards in 2025, part of the film's sweep of 13 awards that night including Best Film and Best Director. Laapataa Ladies was also India's official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.