Ray (TV series)

2021 Indian series

Ray

Poster

Genre| Drama
Based on| Short stories written by Satyajit Ray
Written by|

* Niren Bhatt
* Siraj Ahmed

Directed by|

* Srijit Mukherji
* Abhishek Chaubey
* Vasan Bala

Starring|

* Manoj Bajpayee
* Gajraj Rao
* Ali Fazal
* Shweta Basu Prasad
* Anindita Bose
* Shruthy Menon
* Kay Kay Menon
* Bidita Bag
* Dibyendu Bhattacharya
* Harshvardhan Kapoor
* Radhika Madan
* Chandan Roy Sanyal

Country of origin| India
Original language| Hindi
No. of seasons| 1
No. of episodes| 4
Production
Producer| Ajit Andhare
Cinematography| Arkodeb Mukherjee
Swapnil S. Sonawane
Anuj Rakesh Dhawan
Eeshit Narain
Production company| Colosceum Media
Original release
Network| Netflix
Release| 25 June 2021 (2021-06-25)

Ray is an Indian anthology drama television series on Netflix created by Sayantan Mukherjee, based on the works of Satyajit Ray. The series is directed by Srijit Mukherji, Vasan Bala and Abhishek Chaubey. It is produced by Ajit Andhare, Tipping point and Viacom18 Studios. The series features Manoj Bajpayee, Ali Fazal, Harshvardhan Kapoor and Kay Kay Menon in the lead roles. The series was released on 25 June 2021 on Netflix.[1][2][3][4]

At the 2021 Filmfare OTT Awards, Ray received three nominations, including Best Web Original Film and Best Actor in a Web Original Film (Bajpayee), and won Best Supporting Actress in a Web Original Film (Madan).

## Synopsis

[edit]

The four stories included as part of the anthology are:

* Forget Me Not by Srijit Mukherji: Based on Ray's short story Bipin Chowdhury'r Smritibhrom (transl. Bipin Chowdhury’s Memory Loss)[5] It is about a successful entrepreneur, Ipsit Rama Nair (Ali Fazal) and an event, which changes the way his life was previously.
* Bahrupiya by Srijit Mukherji: Based on Ray's short story Bahurupi (transl. Chameleon)[5][6] It is about Indrashish (Kay Kay Menon), an office employee who gets hold of a valuable book on the art of prosthetics passed down to him by his grandmother.
* Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa by Abhishek Chaubey: Based on Ray's short story Barin Bhowmick-er Byaram (transl. Barin Bhowmick's Ailment)[5] It is about two people - one being Musafir Ali (Manoj Bajpayee), a popular musician and singer and the other being Aslam Baig (Gajraj Rao), a wrestler turned sports journalist who meet on a train journey and a much earlier link between them reopens. The episode was written in Urdu by Niren Bhatt.[7]
* Spotlight by Vasan Bala: Based on Ray's eponymous short story[5] It revolves around a celebrated actor, Vikram "Vik" Arora (Harshvardhan Kapoor), who is known for a particular trademark look and a kind of existential crisis that he goes through when he meets a godlike figure known as Didi. It may be considered as a simulatenous adaptation of two most renowned films directed by Satyajit Ray viz., Mahapurush o Kapurush (Didi's character) and Nayak (Vik's character). Mahapurush was actually an adaptation of the Rajshekhar Basu's short story Birinchibaba. The episode was written by Niren Bhatt.[7]

## Cast

[edit]

The cast of the anthology includes the following:[4]

Forget Me Not  | Bahrupiya | Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa | Spotlight

|
|
|

* Ali Fazal as Ipsit Rama Nair
* Shweta Basu Prasad as Maggie
* Anindita Bose as Rhea Sarfan
* Shruthy Menon as Amala Nair
* Gavin Methalaka as Gary

* Kay Kay Menon as Indrashish Shah
* Bidita Bag as Debashree Roy
* Rajesh Sharma as Suresh Sharma
* Dibyendu Bhattacharya as Peer Baba
* Kharaj Mukherjee as Ghosh (Landlord)
* Alokananda Roy as Paarul (Indrashish's Grandmother)

* Manoj Bajpayee as Musafir Ali
* Gajraj Rao as Aslam Baig
* Raghubir Yadav as Hakim Saab (Doctor)
* Manoj Pahwa as Owner of 'Rooh Safa' Shop

* Harshvardhan Kapoor as Vikram "Vik" Arora
* Radhika Madan as Didi
* Akansha Ranjan Kapoor as Anuya
* Chandan Roy Sanyal as Roby Ghosh
* Vasan Bala as Film Director Ramen Malik (Cameo)
* Rajeev Masand as himself (Cameo)
* Niren Bhatt as Producer Kapoor (Cameo)
* Sayantan Mukherjee as Steve (Cameo)

## Release

[edit]

The trailer of the series was released on 8 June 2021. The series released on 25 June 2021 on Netflix.[8][9]

## Reception

[edit]

The Daily Star wrote that "if not associated with Satyajit Ray's name, the series would most likely have garnered a better score for its entertainment value alone."[10] Shreya Paul of Firstpost stated, "In an attempt to intellectualise Satyajit Ray through a contemporary lens, Netflix India's Ray completely alienates his humanism and effortlessness in portraying people’s vulnerabilities."[11] Taisa Bhowal from India Today wrote, "There couldn't have been a better way to celebrate Satyajit Ray's birth anniversary than to introduce the prolific filmmaker-writer to an entire generation that is perhaps unversed with his legacy."[12]

Avinash Singh of Live Hindustan praised the performance of the cast, stating "The length of 'Ray' is a bit jarring, but the endings of the stories are good and the actors are also able to hook you till the end of the story."[13]

Hindustan Times's Rohan Naahar wrote "Manoj Bajpayee, Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor, Ali Fazal and Radhika Madan lead a handful of excellent performers in Netflix's irreverent but inconsistent anthology, based on Satyajit Ray's short stories."[14]

## Accolades

[edit]

Year  | Award ceremony  | Category  | Nominee / work  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2021 | Filmfare OTT Awards | Best Web Original Film  | Ray | Nominated  | [15]
Best Actor in a Web Original Film  | Manoj Bajpayee | Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in a Web Original Film  | Radhika Madan | Won

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Roy, Priyanka (8 June 2021). "Filmmakers in search of RAY". Telegraph India.
2. ^ Farzeen, Sana (9 June 2021). "Ray trailer: Netflix's new anthology promises a thrilling, engaging ride". The Indian Express.
3. ^ Srivastava, Samriddhi (8 June 2021). "Ray trailer out. Manoj Bajpayee, Ali Fazal lead the cast of Netflix anthology". India Today.
4. ^ a b "'Ray' trailer: Netflix anthology is a tribute to the master filmmaker". The Hindu. 9 June 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
5. ^ a b c d Bhowal, Tiasa (10 June 2021). "Ray on Netflix on June 25. Which Satyajit Ray stories inspired the Manoj Bajpayee and Ali Fazal series?". India Today. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
6. ^ "Get To Know The Satyajit Ray Stories That Inspired This Upcoming Netflix Series". BookMyShow. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
7. ^ a b "How Niren Bhatt connected 'Stree' and 'Bhediya' in the universe of Indian cinema – Exclusive Interview". Financialexpress. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
8. ^ "Ray trailer: Manoj Bajpayee leads a band of India's best actors in new Netflix anthology. Watch here". Hindustan Times. 8 June 2021.
9. ^ "'Ray' trailer: Netflix's anthology promises a modern rendition of Satyajit Ray's timeless tales". The Tribune. 8 June 2021.
10. ^ Mondira, Rasheek Tabassum (27 June 2021). "Is Netflix's 'Ray' worth the watch?". The Daily Star. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
11. ^ Paul, Shreya (25 June 2021). "Ray review: Netflix India's attempted love affair with Satyajit Ray is painfully one-note, sans any nuance". Firstpost.
12. ^ Bhowal, Tiasa (25 June 2021). "Ray Review: Who steals the Spotlight in new Netflix anthology?". India Today. Delhi.
13. ^ "Netflix Ray Review: बढ़िया कहानियां और शानदार अंत लेकिन..." Hindustan (in Hindi). Retrieved 13 November 2022.
14. ^ "Ray review: Manoj Bajpayee, Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor stand out in irreverent but inconsistent Netflix anthology". Hindustan Times. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
15. ^ "Filmfare OTT Awards 2021 - Nominations". filmfare.com. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Ray at IMDb

*[No.]: Number
*[transl.]: translation