''The Rapist'' is a 2021 Indian Hindi

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Aparna Sen Aparna Sen (, ''Ôporna Shen'') is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She has received several accolades as an actress and filmmaker, including nine National Film Awards, five Filmf ...

. A Quest Films Pvt. Ltd. production, produced under the banner of

Applause Entertainment Applause Entertainment, a venture of the Aditya Birla Group of Companies, headed by Sameer Nair Sameer Nair (born 1965) is an Indian media executive and business professional currently serving as CEO of Applause Entertainment Limited. He ...

, stars

Konkona Sen Sharma Konkona Sen Sharma (born 3 December 1979) is an Indian actress and filmmaker who works primarily in Hindi and Bengali films. She has received two National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards. The daughter of filmmakeractress Aparna Sen, Sen ...

Arjun Rampal Arjun Rampal (born 26 November 1972) is an Indian actor, model, film producer and television personality who works in Hindi films. He made his acting debut in Rajiv Rai's romance film ''Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat'' (2001) and has since gone on to ...

and Tanmay Dhanania. The film chronicles the journey of three protagonists, whose lives are interlaced because of one horrific incident. It premiered under the 'A Window on Asian Cinema' section at

26th Busan International Film Festival The 26th Busan International Film Festival opened on October 6 at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea with South Korean film '' Heaven: To the Land of Happiness'' by Im Sang-soo. Park So-dam and Song Joong-ki hosted the opening of the ...

on 7 October 2021, and jointly won the Kim Jiseok award with 2021 Philippine Japanese sports biographical film ''

Gensan Punch ''Gensan Punch'' is a 2021 Philippine Japanese Sports film, sports biographical film directed by Brillante Mendoza. Starring Shogen, Ronnie Lazaro and Kaho Minami, it is based on a true story that depicts Nao Tsuyama, a disabled athlete who refu ...

''.

Cast

as Naina Malik *

as Aftab Malik * Tanmay Dhanania as Prasad Singh *

Anindita Bose Anindita Bose is an Indian actress in Bengali language, Bengali-language film and television. She started her acting career in television and then moved to the big screen. In 2012 she acted in the film ''Bhooter Bhabishyat, Bhooter Baari''. Ca ...

as Malini, colleague of Naina * Harleen Rekhi * Gitanjali Rao as rapist's mother * Vijay Kumar Dogra as police inspector * Chetan Sharma as Latif, slum gang leader * Sukesh Arora as Subhash, Aftab’s lawyer friend * Semma Azmi as Savitri, Naina's maid * Devika Prasad as Nurse in Nursing Home

Production

Aparna Sen writing script for her 3rd Hindi film ''The Rapist'', said "What drew me to this is the psychology of the three main protagonists. Stripping off the layers and carefully built up facades to get to the real person underneath is quite a challenge and a fascinating process." Pre-production work of the film began in February 2021 with finalization of cast and producers. The filmmaker Aparna Sen in her pre-production interview said, ''The Rapist'' will be a “hard-hitting drama that examines how much of society is responsible for producing rapists.”

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began in early March 2021 in Delhi.

finished his part of shooting in the 3rd week of March. The film was wrapped up in first week of April 2021.

Release

''The Rapist'' had its premiere at

under the 'A Window on Asian Cinema' section on 7 October 2021. The film was also been nominated for Kim Jiseok award in

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...

Reception

Richard Kuipers of

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

praising the direction of Aparna Sen wrote, "One of the best works directed by veteran filmmaker-actor Aparna Sen". And appreciating screenplay he wrote, "The great strength of Sen’s screenplay is the realistic manner in which it depicts Naina and Aftab’s reactions to events that challenge firmly held beliefs and threaten their marriage." Kuipers opined about the film, “''The Rapist'' is a deeply affecting portrait of personal trauma and an intelligent examination of social and cultural factors fueling the horrifying prevalence of sexual violence in India." Criticizing visuals of the film, he said, "The only real imperfections to the film are visual, with some scenes being drained of most color for no immediately apparent reason."

Award and nomination

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rapist, The 2021 films 2021 drama films 2020s Hindi-language films Films directed by Aparna Sen Films shot in Delhi Films about rape in India