Aparna Sen’s ‘The Rapist’ goes beyond the culprit-survivor binary

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?”

She says the theme had been on her mind since the Nirbhaya case and two years ago it crystallised into a story and a screenplay. When a Mumbai-based production house approached her and she narrated this story, they were enthusiastic about it.

But it took some time before the film got the green signal. “I went to Mumbai, met Sameer Nair (CEO of Applause Entertainment) and narrated the story. That was how the producers, Applause Entertainment, came on board,” she recalls.

Shot in Delhi over 27 days, the film was completed in 2021. Aparna says the film could have been set only in Delhi as she had conceptualised that as the location. Konkana plays Naina, a criminology professor married to Aftab Malik, essayed by Arjun.

Director-actor Aparna Sen
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Each character goes through a prism of change after the rape as they grapple with their own long-held convictions. “Aftab, for instance, is against capital punishment but when his wife is raped, he finds himself examining his stand against capital punishment. The lives of Naina, Aftab and Prasad (Tanmay) are changed overnight as a result of that one act of sexual violence.

“When Naina finds she is pregnant, she is not sure whether the baby is her husband’s and that is when she decides to learn more about the rapist. She wants to know if his criminality is in his genes! She wants to find why he raped her.”

Choosing her words carefully, she says Naina is ‘pro-choice.’ “Now that does not mean she is in favour of abortion or going ahead with the pregnancy. It means the woman has a choice to decide what she wants to do with it.”

When Naina and Prasad talk to each other, the layers are peeled off and at one point Prasad finds himself calling Naina didi (sister).

For the screenplay, Aparna spoke to two friends who work with survivors and abused women, doctors and lawyers.

Konkona Sen in a still from Aparna Sen’s film ‘The Rapist’  
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

What was it like to work with her daughter on their sixth film? The mother’s pride in her daughter is evident in her words.

“She has become better and better in every way. We speak to each other every day. But we talk about mundane things, what she ate, where she went and in between, she might slip in about an award she has won.

“When she began working with me, she used to listen to me more. Now, she brings in her own interpretation of her character. I was confident that she would be the best for Naina.”

She points out that she took care to see that she does not take sides in the film and each character has to navigate his/her own complexities and understanding.