Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies has received rave reviews. The project marks the filmmaker’s comeback as a director after over a decade, with her last project being Dhobi Ghat (2011). Explaining the long gap, Rao says, “It’s said that second project is the hardest for a filmmaker or an actor. Pehli film toh ban jaati hai, the real struggle lies when you work on the second one. The pressure builds up due to the expectations people have of you, which doesn’t apply in case of your debut project. I was stuck in the rut of overthinking after Dhobi Ghat.”

The Laal Singh Chaddha (2022) producer adds that focusing on personal life also kept her busy. “I had my son (Azad Rao Khan) around the same time (he was born in December 2011). So, all my focus was on my child. But, I did whatever I could on the work front. I was associated with films like Dangal (2016) and Secret Superstar (2017), among other projects. So, it’s not that I was totally out of work all these years,” says the 50-year-old.

Rao recalls zeroing in on the story of Laapataa Ladies two years ago. “I have been struggling to write something unique. I have been on a writing spree and have folders full of stories. I am quite hard on myself as a creative person and very conscious of what I associate with,” says Rao.

Ask about her upcoming projects, and she says, “Comedy is my favourite genre, so maybe a romantic comedy next.”