The year 2021 marks the birth centenary of the greatest filmmaker Satyajit Ray and there could not be a better way to celebrate than to introduce a legendary filmmaker-writer through a film to an entire generation that is perhaps unversed with his legacy.
'RAY,' a Netflix anthology series, is based on Satyajit Ray's writings and features captivating stories. The film is an anthology directed by Abhishek Chaubey, Srijit Mukherji and Vasan Bala and inspired by Satyajit Ray’s Spotlight, Bahurupi, Barin Bhowmik-er Byaram and Bipin Chowdhury-r Smritibhrom.
There are four stories, three directors, two writers, and one legend in this film.
The first story inspired by Bipin Chowdhury-r Smritibhrom titled ‘Forget Me Not’ features Ali Afzal, Shweta Basu Prasad, Anindita Ghosh and Shruti Menon.
‘Bahurupiya’ inspired by Bahurupi stars Kay Kay Menon, Rajesh Sharma, Bidita Bag, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Kharaj Mukherjee.
"Satyajit Ray has been a great inspiration in my life," Director Srijit Mukherjee said of his work in Ray's "Forget Me Not" and "Bahrupiya." After faithfully bringing two Ray stories to life in Feluda Pherot, it's an honour and a great pleasure to reimagine two more Ray stories in a significantly darker space. Throughout the two storylines, I also had the pleasure to work with a fantastic cast, including Kay Kay Menon, Ali Fazal, and Sweta Basu Prasad. I'm looking forward to seeing how the audience reacts to these flawed and perhaps broken individuals.”
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Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa inspired by Barin Bhowmik-er Byaram stars Manoj Bajpayee, Gajraj Rao, Raghubir Yadav, Manoj Pahwa.
Director Abhishek Chaubey stated in his film 'Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa' in Ray, "I'm drawn to storylines that twist with whimsy and fun." Satyajit Ray is one of the best storytellers in the world, and having the chance to convey this narrative is a dream come true for me. I hope Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa is as much fun to watch as it was to make, with Manoj Bajpayee and Gajraj Rao playing off each other on-screen. Super stoked about the show and can’t wait for people to watch it!”
Meanwhile, Spotlight inspired by Satyajit Ray’s short film of the same name features Harshavardhan Kapoor, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Radhika Madan, and Akansha Ranjan Kapoor.
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"Spotlight is inspired by Ray's prolific and brilliant works," Vasan Bala says of his experience working on 'Spotlight,' his storyline in 'Ray.' A chance that allowed me to work with amazing people. It's a pulpy, quirky, music-filled story with a cast of colourful characters. Harshvardhan Kapoor, Radhika Madan, Akanksha Ranjan Kapoor, and Chandan Roy Sanyal are all in the craziness. Can't wait for the audience to watch and react to it."
Satyajit Ray’s unmatched filmmaking skills, writings are not quite received as they should be because most of his work is in Bengali and lack of good translation is the reason it lacks recognition outside Bengal. But, Netflix’s newest project Ray brings a little change.
The film presents Satyajit Ray’s work in a dark and twisted way. Everything in Ray is grey, unlike generally portrayed black and white in most of the films. This brings out the suspense in each segment and keeps you guessing till the end.