Actor Richa Chadha has never been one to mince her words. In the wake of Laapataa Ladies failing to make it to the Oscar shortlist, Chadha asserts the need for women’s representation in the Film Federation of India’s (FFI) 13-member jury, which selects India’s official entry to the Academy Awards.

“It has been a great year. Santosh (directed by Sandhya Suri) has entered (Oscar shortlist in the International Feature Film category) from the UK. While that’s great, it also means that we have a responsibility to look at our stories. Whether it is Santosh, or Anuja (produced by Guneet Monga Kapoor), we have to acknowledge ki ye bhi kahaaniyan hai,” says Chadha, who has turned producer with the coming-of-age drama, Girls Will Be Girls.

Pointing out the lack of female representation in the FFI jury, she adds, “In a year when there are so many feminist films, like Laapataa Ladies and All We Imagine As Light, why do we have only men in the selection committee? Women need to have a representation.”

Earlier, the FFI had created an uproar with the choice of words used in the citation that announced Laapataa Ladies as India’s official entry to the Oscars. In it, they had referred to Indian women as a mix of “domination and submission”. “Laapataa Ladies is a great film, but the citation was funny. As a woman, I remember it,” she signs off.