Toronto chosen to host A.R Rahman’s new virtual reality film

Lighthouse Immersive in downtown Toronto housed a red carpet event hosted by Malarr Entertainment on Monday, Nov. 14 for two-time Oscar and Grammy-winner A.R Rahman’s new virtual reality film Le Musk.

Le Musk, meaning ‘the scent,’ is a 37-minute virtual reality short film about a young woman named Juliet who seeks revenge on three men, relying on only their distinct scents to guide her.

Le Musk requires to be seen with not just a headset but also a unique chair. The Voyager chairs, designed by Jeffrey Travis, a filmmaker and electrical and software engineer through virtual reality company Positron, are an essential part of viewing Le Musk.

Voyager chairs Photo credit: Kennedy Pollard/Ryan Emberley Photography

The chairs are incredibly unique to the VR world, allowing the user to sense motion, haptics and for the first time ever, smell. The chairs release smells throughout the film, allowing for a truly 4-D experience.

The film is based around scent as the main character uses the sense of smell to guide her. Rahman said his wife Sara came up with the idea through her love of perfumes. He said she came to him one day asking what it would be like to have a movie based around scent. Shortly afterwards, Le Musk was underway.

A.R Rahman debuts at his red carpet event. Photo credit: Kennedy Pollard/Ryan Emberley Photography

“What do you want to see (in a movie?) A labour of love and courage,” Rahman said.

The film is already a pioneer of VR with the element of scent through the Voyager chairs. The fact that Toronto is hosting such an evolved technological film is remarkable for the City.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown was in attendance as well as Toronto Mayor John Tory, who attended virtually.

Toronto Mayor John Tory speaks at event. Photo credit: Megan Bocchinfuso

“It has been my pleasure to make Toronto the ‘Hollywood North,’ for storytelling,” Mayor Tory said. “We will be the next frontier and leading technology in content creation and storytelling.”

It is an honour for the City of Toronto to play Le Musk at Lighthouse Immersive to allow opportunities for technological advancements and a Canadian future of VR.

“Thank you for putting the GTA on the map, allowing us to be a part of cutting-edge new technology like this,” Mayor Brown said.

Le Musk will be playing at Lighthouse Immersive until March. 18, 2023.