''Ray'' is an Indian

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

created by Sayantan Mukherjee, based on the works of

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...

. The series is directed by

Srijit Mukherji Srijit Mukherji (born 23 September 1977) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who predominantly works in Bengali cinema. His regular collaboration with veteran actor Prosenjit Chatterjee brought him into the limelight. His first featur ...

, Vasan Bala and

Abhishek Chaubey Abhishek Chaubey is an Indian director, screenwriter and film producer known for his works in Hindi cinema. Early life Abhishek Chaubey was born in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh to Anand Mohan Chaubey and Sheela Chaubey. He spent his early childhood ...

. It is produced by

Ajit Andhare Ajit Andhare is an Indian businessman, entrepreneur, who is currently chief operating officer at Viacom18 Studios. Career Ajit currently serves as the chief operating officer at Viacom 18 Motion Pictures (VMP), the motion pictures business of V ...

, Tipping point and

Viacom18 Studios Viacom18 Studios is an Indian film distribution and production company. It is a subsidiary of JioStar, a joint venture between Reliance Industries, Viacom18 and Disney India. Based in Mumbai, It is one of the first studio model based motion pi ...

. The series features

Manoj Bajpayee Manoj Bajpayee (born 23 April 1969), also transliterated as Manoj Bajpai, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of numerous accolades including four National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards, and two ...

Ali Fazal Ali Fazal (born 15 October 1986) is an Indian actor who works primarily in Hindi films and television series. He made his screen debut with a small role in the film ''The Other End of the Line'' (2008) before appearing in the television miniser ...

Harshvardhan Kapoor Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor ( born 9 November 1990) is an Indian actor. He is the son of actor Anil Kapoor. He made his acting debut with the romantic drama film '' Mirzya'' (2016). He has since starred in the action films '' Bhavesh Joshi Superhero ...

and

Kay Kay Menon Krishna Kumar Menon (born 2 October 1966), known professionally as Kay Kay Menon, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and occasionally in Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi and Telugu films. He is best known for his roles in fil ...

in the lead roles. The series was released on 25 June 2021 on

. At the

2021 Filmfare OTT Awards 2021 Filmfare OTT Awards, the second edition of awards show was held on 9 December 2021 in Mumbai. These awards honour artistic and technical excellence in original programming on over-the-top streaming media in Hindi-language. Web original sh ...

, ''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

The four stories included as part of the anthology are: * ''Forget Me Not'' by

: Based on Ray's short story ''Bipin Chowdhury'r Smritibhrom'' () It is about a successful entrepreneur, Ipsit Rama Nair (

) and an event, which changes the way his life was previously. * ''Bahrupiya'' by Srijit Mukherji: Based on Ray's short story ''Bahurupi'' () It is about Indrashish (

), an office

employee Employment is a relationship between two party (law), parties Regulation, regulating the provision of paid Labour (human activity), labour services. Usually based on a employment contract, contract, one party, the employer, which might be a cor ...

who gets hold of a valuable book on the art of prosthetics passed down to him by his grandmother. * ''Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa'' by

: Based on Ray's short story ''Barin Bhowmick-er Byaram'' () It is about two people - one being Musafir Ali (

), a popular musician and singer and the other being Aslam Baig (

Gajraj Rao Gajraj Rao (born 1971) is an Indian actor who appears predominantly in Hindi films. He is widely known for his performance in the comedy-drama film ''Badhaai Ho'' for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He debuted in 1994 ...

), 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 Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

Niren Bhatt Niren Bhatt is a screenwriter and lyricist from Mumbai, India. After leaving his corporate job, he initially wrote commercials and Gujarati plays. He later expanded writing career in Hindi TV series and Gujarati cinema. He eventually has succe ...

.'''' * ''Spotlight'' by Vasan Bala: Based on Ray's eponymous short story It revolves around a celebrated actor, Vikram "Vik" Arora (

), who is known for a particular trademark look and a kind of

existential crisis Existential crises are inner conflicts characterized by the impression that life lacks meaning and confusion about one's personal identity. They are accompanied by anxiety and stress, often to such a degree that they disturb one's normal funct ...

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

viz.,

Mahapurush ''Mahapurush'' () is a 1965 Indian film directed by Satyajit Ray, based on a short story ''Birinchibaba'' by Rajshekhar Basu. Plot After the death of his wife, Gurupada Mitra (Prasad Mukherjee), an advocate, has not been at peace. He and his ...

o Kapurush (Didi's character) and Nayak (Vik's character). Mahapurush was actually an adaptation of the

Rajshekhar Basu Rajshekhar Basu (; better known by the pen name Parashuram; 16 March 1880 – 27 April 1960) was a Bengali chemist, author and lexicographer. He was chiefly known for his comic and satirical short stories, and is considered the greatest ...

's short story ''Birinchibaba.'' The episode was written by Niren Bhatt''.''

Cast

The cast of the anthology includes the following:

Release

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

Reception

'' 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." Shreya Paul of ''

Firstpost Firstpost is an Indian news website owned by Network18 Group, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC TV18. It has posted misinformation on multiple occasions. The Network 18 group was originally owned by Raghav Bahl. In January 2012, the gro ...

'' 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." Taisa Bhowal from ''

India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...

'' 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." 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."

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...

'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."

Accolades

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, tt14160660 2020s Indian television series Hindi-language television shows Netflix television dramas Television series based on short fiction 2021 Indian television series debuts Indian anthology television series Satyajit Ray