Roshan Mathew, who was last seen in the critically acclaimed ‘Paradise’, spoke to IndiaToday.in about why he missed attending the 28th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in 2023. ‘Paradise’ won the prestigious Kim Jiseok Award at the film festival.

Roshan Mathew recently made headlines for his stellar performance in the film ‘Paradise’ which was screened at BIFF, South Korea. ‘Paradise’ had its world premiere on October 7, 2023 at the 28th Busan International Film Festival, where it won the Kim Jiseok Award. However, Roshan was unable to attend the festival due to professional commitments of another project. The actor spoke to us about missing the awards night.

Speaking to IndiaToday.in, Roshan said, “Actually, I missed it. Unfortunately, I was shooting for another project and I got the news after it was announced when our producers called us. Darshana (Rajendran) was there but it was one of those surreal, hard-to-believe moments wondering if it was real.”

“The last time I felt like that was when I was shooting for ‘Choked’ and Anurag sir (Kashyap) suddenly came to me from behind the monitor and said congratulations, ‘Moothon’ has been selected for TIFF and I had no idea what was happening. So, it was one of those moments because you are in the middle of another project and don’t really think about it,” he said.

He further added, “I didn’t even know that the Busan Awards were being announced at that time. We heard it all of a sudden and for a moment, I didn’t know where I was, or what I was doing – it was very hard to believe. After that, obviously, it felt unbelievable. I was so happy that the film got recognition and importance at the awards.”

Talking about the film, Roshan said, “I always knew Prasanna sir (Vithanage) wanted to make a global film that would be universally accessible to all people. When we first discussed that he was going to make a film on human emotions, he was very clear.”

He also added, “But he was very particular that all the characters and especially Keshav and Amrita should be accessible to all human beings. He worked on those characters at that level. I knew that was his intention. I think it speaks a lot about his mastery over his craft that it turned out exactly like that. The film is now being screened at literally all festivals across the world. The film has received great acceptance and appreciation from everywhere. Our director and producer have been going to all these festivals and they keep updating us after each screening. I was happy to know that people from everywhere, no matter what language they speak and what kind of setting they come from, found all the characters and the story relatable.”

Watch the trailer of ‘Paradise’ here:

‘Paradise’ is a poignant drama that delves into complex human emotions and relationships. Directed by Prasanna Vithanage, the film explores themes of love, loss and redemption through a beautifully crafted narrative. Mathew’s character is central to the story, bringing depth and nuance to the film’s exploration of themes.

“Paradise” releases in theaters June 28.