Aparna Sen’s The Rapist which marks Applause Entertainment’s foray into feature films will have its World Premiere at the 26th edition of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). The film has been produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Quest Films Pvt. Ltd.

Premiering in the ‘A Window on Asian Cinema’ section, the film is one of the 7 films nominated for the prestigious Kim Jiseok Award, which will be announced during the closing ceremony.

Marking the reunion of the talented mother-daughter duo of Aparna Sen-Konkona Sen Sharma after several acclaimed films including the National Award-winning, Mr. And Mrs. Iyer, The Rapist also boasts of splendid actors like Arjun Rampal and Tanmay Dhanania in key roles. After the stunning success of its premium drama series’ like Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors and Scam 1992, Applause Entertainment’s entry into the world of movies is off to a wonderful start with this nomination.

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.

Sameer Nair, CEO of Applause Entertainment and the producer of Criminal Justice and Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta story says, “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.”

Says the eminent director-actor-writer Aparna Sen, “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.

 Suchhanda Chatterjee and Shubha Shetty of Quest Films Pvt. Ltd. say, “Aparna Sen is someone we have always admired and that’s the reason why we feel so honoured to be producing a film directed by her. Soon as we heard this deeply impactful story written by her, we knew that we had to be part of this film. The Rapist is a reflection of the fault lines in society and it raises a few pertinent questions. We are grateful that Applause Entertainment trusted us and chose to come on board. We are delighted that our film is premiering at the Busan International Film Festival for the world to watch. “  

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