Karan Johar’s ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ headed to Busan Film Festival

Karan Johar's directorial Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani will be screened at the 2023 edition of the Busan International Film Festival, the organisers announced Tuesday.

The romance drama, which released in India in July and amassed over £30 million at the box office, will be showcased under the 'Open Cinema' segment of the film gala.

The Open Cinema section presents a collection of "new and internationally acclaimed films that offer an ideal mix of the popular with the artistic" cinema.

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani will be screened alongside four other titles -- Luc Besson's Dogman (France), Yukisada Isao's Revolver Lily (Japan), Thomas Cailley's The Animal Kingdom (France), and Anthony Pun's One More Chance (Hong Kong, China).

Directed by Johar in his 25th anniversary year in the film industry, the family entertainer features Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in the title roles and follows the story of Rocky and Rani, a couple from different cultures and social backgrounds.

The filmmaker also shared the news in a post on his Instagram Stories.

“Feeling absolutely blessed and graceful! #RockyAurRaniKiiPremKahaani goes to @busanfilmfest," Johar wrote.

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani also stars Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, and Shabana Azmi along with Tota Roy Chowdhury, Churni Ganguly, Aamir Bashir, Kshitee Jog, Anjali Anand, and Namit Das.

Indian films will be having a strong presence at the 28th edition of the Busan International Film Festival, which is set to be held from October 4 to 13.

Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Joram and Kanu Behl's Agra will be screened as part of the 'A Window on Asian Cinema' programme, which showcases "films from well-established directors as well as the upcoming rookies of the industry" from Asian cinema.

Also part of the section are The Scavenger of Dreams by Suman Ghosh, Guras by Saurav Rai, and Rapture by Dominic Sangma.

Under the festival's 'New Currents' section, which aims to promote the "first or second features" of up-and-coming Asian filmmakers, The Spark from director Rajesh S Jala will be screened.

Two Indian documentaries will also be screened at the festival.

Anupama Srinivasan and Anirban Dutta's Flickering Lights has been included in the 'Wide Angle - Documentary Competition' section, while 'Wide Angle - Documentary Showcase' screens Against the Tide by Sarvnik Kaur.