Laapataa Ladies at Oscars 2025 | Sparsh Shrivastava: I never thought I would go to Oscars

Actor Sparsh Shrivastava says he was “flooded with messages” after news broke that Laapataa Ladies had been picked as India’s entry to the Oscars.

He tells us, “Never thought it would go that far at the Oscars. It happened all of a sudden. I was in a meeting and was my casting director, Romil, called me. He broke the news to me. I had never imagined that the film would become this huge and would be picked for Oscars. No one could have imagined this. We all knew that we had made a good film. We were hoping for it (Oscars), but not sure of it.”

Shrivastava shares that he’s celebrating with his family in his hometown of Agra, taking a moment to let the news sink in. “They are extremely happy about it. My family is quite emotional. Mithaiya is being eaten. There are tears in his eyes. I feel great to be able to celebrate this moment with them,” says the 25-year-old.

Also Read: Pratibha Ranta reacts to Laapataa Ladies going for Oscars: Not just internationally, the film got attention in India too

For Shrivastava, who has featured in Ae Mere Watan, Jamtara and Collar Bomb (2021), among others, a ticket to the Oscars feels like a validation of the work he’s done so far: “Following the film’s release, the response I’ve received from the industry and the audience felt like ‘okay you’re on the right track’ and this only adds to it.”

Will this shape his outlook to the roles he takes up next? “Not at all,” asserts Shrivastava. He adds, “The thought behind all my roles has been ‘If it sends a message, great, but it should always entertain the viewers’. I believe if the audience is spending money to watch a film or show I’m part of, they must get value for their money and be entertained.”