'Aligarh' gets standing ovation in Busan, director elated

Hansal Mehta's "Aligarh" garnered applause and received a standing ovation following its screening at the 20th Busan International Film Festival on Sunday. Proud director Hansal Mehta found the response overwhelming.

He felt the story about homosexuality moved the audience.

"Thank you #Busan for the overwhelming response to #Aligarh. Film got an ovation at the end. People were moved by the tale. Thank you," Mehta tweeted.

"And yes, the big auditorium was PACKED. Really thank you #Busan for the love you showed to #Aligarh," he shared.

Set in a town in Uttar Pradesh from which the film takes its name, "Aligarh" is the story of a professor (Manoj Bajpayee) fired for his sexuality and a young journalist (Rajkummar Rao) who tells his story to the world.

The film was screened at the ongoing film fest in South Korea, where the ten-day film gala will culminate on October 10.

"Aligarh", which questions the still nascent stage of gender identity in the society, will open the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival here on October 30, and will also be screened at 59th BFI London Film Festival later this month.