Based on short stories written by Ray, the anthology is a collection of four films created by Sayantan Mukherjee. Two of them are helmed by Srijit Mukherji, the other two directed by Abhishek Chaubey and Vasan Bala respectively.
The first in the anthology is Forget me Not, based on Bipin Choudhurir Smritibhram. It is directed by Srijit Mukherji. It's a revenge drama that centre's around Ipsit (Ali Fazal), a successful entrepreneur with a brilliant memory, a trait he is proud of. But soon, things spiral out of control when Ipsit encounters a woman he has no memory of meeting.
The second story by Mukherji is Bahrupiya, inspired by the short story Bahuroopi. The screenplays for both these films have been written by Siraj Ahmed. A disturbing psychological thriller, where Indrashish (Kay Kay Menon) decides to confront those who he feels have wronged him. With makeup and prosthetics he manages to create a different identity for himself, but his hubris proves to be his ultimate undoing. In both the films, the protagonists are pushed to a frighting brink, unable to get a hold on themselves.
Abhishek Chaubey, who has films like Ishqiya , Udta Punjab and Sonchiriya to his credit, adapts Ray's Barin Bhowmik's Ailment. The humour is intrinsic to the screenplay, and the fable-like quality in the storytelling comes closest to that of Ray's. Musafir Ali, a ghazal singer, and Aslam Baig, a sports journalist, are travelling together in a train. The conversation soon turns to an alluring pocket-watch Khushbakht. Time is a great leveller, they say, and the said watch apparently has a role to play in it. Exuberant performances by Manoj Bajpayee, Gajraj Rao and the ensemble, along with very aptly used music, keep the proceedings buoyant .
The final film starts with a quote by Satyajit Ray -"There is always some room for improvisation". We see a lot of that in true Vasan Bala style. Bala, who previously made the quirky Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, has directed Spotlight, based on the story by the same name. Wacky and over-the-top, the film nudges us to look at the flip side of living under constant public gaze and spotlight. Does one become a victim of one's own image ? Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor plays a big film star, Vikram Arora, who is creatively unsatisfied. His anxieties and insecurities get the better of him when he meets Didi (Radhika Madan), a revered cult leader, whose clout seems to threaten and overshadow his fame. Vik's manager, played by a brilliant Chandak Roy Sanyal, tries to salvage the situation for him. Peppered with many Ray references, hat tip to the maestro's films and characters, Spotlight is a trippy retelling of Ray's story .
Some stories in an anthology work better than the rest. Ray, in that sense is a mixed bag, but the fearless re-telling of the maestro 's short stories is definitely worth a watch.
The first in the anthology is Forget me Not, based on Bipin Choudhurir Smritibhram. It is directed by Srijit Mukherji. It's a revenge drama that centre's around Ipsit (Ali Fazal), a successful entrepreneur with a brilliant memory, a trait he is proud of. But soon, things spiral out of control when Ipsit encounters a woman he has no memory of meeting.
The second story by Mukherji is Bahrupiya, inspired by the short story Bahuroopi. The screenplays for both these films have been written by Siraj Ahmed. A disturbing psychological thriller, where Indrashish (Kay Kay Menon) decides to confront those who he feels have wronged him. With makeup and prosthetics he manages to create a different identity for himself, but his hubris proves to be his ultimate undoing. In both the films, the protagonists are pushed to a frighting brink, unable to get a hold on themselves.
Abhishek Chaubey, who has films like Ishqiya , Udta Punjab and Sonchiriya to his credit, adapts Ray's Barin Bhowmik's Ailment. The humour is intrinsic to the screenplay, and the fable-like quality in the storytelling comes closest to that of Ray's. Musafir Ali, a ghazal singer, and Aslam Baig, a sports journalist, are travelling together in a train. The conversation soon turns to an alluring pocket-watch Khushbakht. Time is a great leveller, they say, and the said watch apparently has a role to play in it. Exuberant performances by Manoj Bajpayee, Gajraj Rao and the ensemble, along with very aptly used music, keep the proceedings buoyant .
The final film starts with a quote by Satyajit Ray -"There is always some room for improvisation". We see a lot of that in true Vasan Bala style. Bala, who previously made the quirky Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, has directed Spotlight, based on the story by the same name. Wacky and over-the-top, the film nudges us to look at the flip side of living under constant public gaze and spotlight. Does one become a victim of one's own image ? Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor plays a big film star, Vikram Arora, who is creatively unsatisfied. His anxieties and insecurities get the better of him when he meets Didi (Radhika Madan), a revered cult leader, whose clout seems to threaten and overshadow his fame. Vik's manager, played by a brilliant Chandak Roy Sanyal, tries to salvage the situation for him. Peppered with many Ray references, hat tip to the maestro's films and characters, Spotlight is a trippy retelling of Ray's story .
Some stories in an anthology work better than the rest. Ray, in that sense is a mixed bag, but the fearless re-telling of the maestro 's short stories is definitely worth a watch.