It has been a whirlwind week for Kiran Rao, whose film Laapataa Ladies, on September 23, was announced as India’s official entry to the Oscars 2025. What has life been like since then? All about congratulatory calls, messages and planning, says the proud director. She begins, “I was in disbelief at first when my cousin Shiv [Aroor, journalist] posted the news on our family’s [WhatsApp] group. The first person I called was Aamir [Khan], of course. I would like to believe I informed Aamir, but the reality is that we got a hold of each other only about 30 minutes later because the calls and messages were pouring in. He was thrilled, and his first reaction was, ‘The journey ahead is very long and we must start planning.’”