As Kerala remains glued to court proceedings of a molestation case involving celebrities, a multi-layered film, The Rapist, directed by auteur Aparna Sen, goes beyond the culprit-survivor binary to explore why a person becomes a rapist.
The Rapist, which bagged the Kim Jiseok Award at the Busan International Film Festival in 2021, struck a chord with viewers of the 26th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala. Starring Aparna’s daughter Konkona Sen Sharma, Arjun Rampal and Tanmay Dhanania in the lead roles, the film explores how a heinous crime like rape impacts the people involved and society at large. Is it nature or nurture or a combination of both? What circumstances make one a rapist?
Speaking over phone from Kolkata, the 76-year-old renowned actor-director, winner of multiple national and state awards, explains why she made a film that tries to understand a society that creates rapists. She says: “A newborn does not become a rapist overnight. He becomes a toddler, a young boy, a youngster... What turns him into a rapist? Rape, say activists and academics, is all about power. I agree. But what makes a person use rape as a weapon, as a way of subjugating a woman?”
