Ray, for our times

Illustration/Uday Mohite

In Satyajit Ray's birth centenary year, Netflix offers us Ray, an anthology series of four independent episodes adapted from Ray's short stories, that dropped on the streamer on Friday. Ray, the filmmaker, was deeply humanist and usually concerned with larger issues in his films. But he seems almost a different personality as a short story writer, often exploring the occult, the supernatural - and the darker sides of his characters, with lust, revenge, betrayal and deceit being overriding emotions, especially in the four stories here, but making larger points nonetheless. Sadly, they don't include my favourite Ray short story, Ratan Babu Aar Shei Lokta (Ratan Babu and the Stranger), but these are solid anyway. They are directed by top directors - Srijit Mukherji (who directs two episodes), Abhishek Chaubey and Vasan Bala. And they feature accomplished actors including Manoj Bajpayee, Gajraj Rao, Kay Kay Menon, Ali Fazal, Harshvarrdhan Kapoor, Radhika Madan, Chandan Roy Sanyal and Shweta Basu Prasad.

A-list Bengali director Srijit Mukherji directs Forget Me Not. It is good to see him back in Hindi, after Begum Jaan. Ipsit Rama Nair, a suave corporate honcho, who prides himself on his memory, meets a woman who recalls their ‘dirty weekend' at the Ajanta Caves, of which Nair has no recollection. He swiftly unravels following this revelation, as more dark secrets tumble out. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but the climax has a big kahani mein twist. Ali Fazal puts in a stand-out performance showcasing his versatility, while Shweta Basu Prasad prefers to play it low key. Mukherji's direction has excellent touches, as when Nair revisits the Ajanta Caves, and his previous self brushes past him, and when his secretary Maggie takes him down the corridor into his flashbacks - it's a tad mannered, but a clever shot at time travel. Siraj Ahmed's writing is strong (though the wife just vanishes), with a hint of EM Forster's A Passage to India's Marabar Caves mystery. Swapnil Sonawane's cinematography is superb, as is Peter Cat Recording Co's symphonic, contrapuntal music, and includes Ami chini go chini from Ray's Charulata on the piano.

Abhishek Chaubey directs Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa (Why the fuss; the popular Ghulam Ali ghazal), in which the kleptomaniac Musafir Ali (Manoj Bajpayee) meets Aslam Baig (Gajraj Rao) in the train. Turns out he had stolen Baig's watch years ago, and wants to atone for it. His visit to the shop for ‘returned stolen goods' (brilliant idea), makes it philosophical, with hilarious revelations, and delivering another punch in the climax. Chaubey, the cinematographer, and editor Manas Mittal reveal some masterly touches, as when a train toilet mirror is transformed into an onstage window for a ghazal performance, and Bajpayee sashays from one performance to another down a single staircase. Bajpayee is in full josh, as is Rao. Manoj Pahwa is delightful as the ‘shopkeeper of sins.'

If Vasan Bala's Spotlight has an un-Ray-like cool, contemporary vibe, it's because writer Niren Bhatt has substantially departed from the original story, while retaining the kernel, riffing on Ray's Devi's cult with a kalyug-y twist. Vik Arora is an insecure, ‘one look' star (Harshvarrdhan Kapoor), who is effortlessly upstaged in popularity by a religious Radhe Maa-style Divya Didi (Radhika Madan). Madan plays her as a cool, cynical sanyasin. Manager Robbie (Chandan Roy Sanyal, good) delivers the killer perspective about films being around for a mere 100 years, while religion has been around for over 10,000 years. There are laugh-out loud moments as the feisty, feminist film comments on today's loony religious cults, with Bala's deliciously savage trademark touches (and Vik's T-shirt says ‘Scorsese Dada' in Bengali).

In Srijit Mukherji's Bahrupiya, Indrashish Saha (Kay Kay Menon) plays a make-up artist who takes revenge against those who have wronged him by face-swapping, but discovers that fate can play the same game. Kay Kay is good, but the story is relatively straightforward. Dibyendu Bhattacharya reminds us what a fine, under-utilised actor he is. The series, created by Sayantan Mukherjee and written by Niren Bhatt and Siraj Ahmed, is produced by Viacom18 Studios' Tipping Point. All in all, a tightly packed, fairly meaty Ray anthology. Go for it!

Meenakshi Shedde is India and South Asia Delegate to the Berlin International Film Festival, National Award-winning critic, curator to festivals worldwide and journalist. Reach her at meenakshi.shedde@mid-day.com