The Abhishek Banerjee- starrer film ‘Stolen’ had earlier gained the distinction of being India’s sole selection for the 80th Venice Film Festival impressing audiences. Director Karan Tejpal said that he chose a raw approach for the film, to depict life’s many unseen realities.

Speaking to Variety, Tejpal said: “In crafting ‘Stolen,’ I deliberately chose to embrace a raw, unapologetic cinema verite style. By immersing the viewers in the experience alongside my characters, I aimed to engage them fully in the search for truth and justice.”

“‘Stolen’ is my earnest attempt to bring to light the unseen realities that shape our society and to provoke introspection on the issues that matter most. I hope that this cinematic journey will not only entertain but also encourage meaningful conversations about the complexities of our world, ultimately paving the way for a better, more empathetic future,” he added.

The film tells the story of the havoc that is caused by the collision of two opposite forces as two city men become embroiled in an impoverished mother’s desperate journey to be reunited with her child.

‘Stolen’ marks the feature debut of Karan Tejpal who started his career working in large-scale Bollywood films; such as ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ and ‘3 Idiots’.

Producer Gaurav Dhingra told Variety: “With ‘Stolen,’ we have distilled the art of producing an irresistible work of cinema which can be consumed globally, opening the IP to million possibilities. I co-wrote the film and evaded any external studio funding, purely to create the most veracious, hard hitting and immersive cinema as can be.”

He concluded: “I’m positive that the success of ‘Stolen’ will pave the way to a new-wave of genre films from India aimed at a worldwide distribution.”

Attesting to his statement, the movie’s international sales have been boarded by the Paris-based sales company Charades. Carole Baraton, co-founder of Charades, said: “We are very excited to propose ‘Stolen’ to our distributors in Venice. The whole team was struck by this fast-paced, heartbreaking, unique story and impressed by such a well mastered debut. It shows a face of Indian society that most of us are totally unaware of and that should get international audiences drawn to.”

The world premiere of ‘Stolen’ will take place on August 31, 2023.