Filmmaker Kiran Rao, whose film Laapataa Ladies has been chosen as India's official entry for the Oscars 2025, has expressed her support for junior doctors seeking justice for the deceased trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital.

Laapata Ladies was selected as India’s official submission to the 97th Academy Awards for the Best International Film category by the Film Federation of India on September 23. 

The movie was unanimously selected, among movies like National Award-winning Malayali film Aattam and Cannes-winner All We Imagine As Light. 

Rao, speaking at a session titled “Ladies Who Lead”, organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce's Ladies Study Group yesterday, September 27, called the August 9 incident "regrettable and frightening", reports The New Indian Express.

"I stand in solidarity with all the women and individuals who have taken to the streets of Kolkata to protest for safer working conditions," she stated. 

She added, "Students, doctors, and members of society have united in this cause, and I stand with them."

To recall, on August 9, the semi-naked body of a postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctor working at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was found in the seminar hall of the hospital.

Following post-mortem, it was revealed the victim sustained external and internal injuries in the sexual assault and was murdered.

This led to widespread protests in West Bengal, and eventually across the country, as doctors and other medical professionals hit the streets, seeking justice for the victim.