Aparna Sen's 'The Rapist' to premiere at Busan Film Festival

MUMBAI: National Award-winning actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen's directorial 'The Rapist' is all set for its world premiere at the 26th edition of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

Talking about the film, Aparna said, "Apart from trying to explore the reasons why our society turns out rapists in such numbers and looking into the inequalities in our social system that are responsible for giving rise to criminals, what drew me to this story, was the psychology of the three protagonists.

"Stripping off the layers and the carefully built-up facades to get at the person underneath was a fascinating process. Fascinating too was getting the two Indias to come face to face - the India that lives in urban slums with its age-old beliefs, and educated urbane India with its 'progressive' value systems."

The film features Konkona Sen Sharma and Arjun Rampal in pivotal roles.

'The Rapist' chronicles the journey of three protagonists and how their lives get entwined because of one horrific incident. The film looks beyond the obvious crime, to explore not only how it affects the survivors and perpetrators of the crime, but also delves into how one's idealistic views are drastically altered when the truth hits uncomfortably close to home.

The film is produced by Applause Entertainment.

Sameer Nair, CEO of the production house, said, "Collaborating with Aparna Sen for our first feature has been something we've been excited about since we heard this powerful story. The enthusiasm has only doubled up with a nomination for the Kim Jiseok Award, and a world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), the most celebrated film festival in all of Asia. We're happy to have partnered with Quest Films and are confident that Aparna's unique brand of storytelling, especially of complex themes plaguing our society, will resonate with the world audience at large."

Widely acknowledged as the largest film festival in Asia, the Busan International Film Festival will be held from October 6 to October 15.

SOURCE : IANS