Ray; Manoj Bajpayee,Kay Kay Menon,Gajraj Rao,Ali Fazal shine in satirical tales on human vulnerabilities

By Rajesh Ahuja


'Aap pehle insaan nahin hain aur aakhri insaan bhi nahin hain jo khud ko khuda samajhte hain aur moon ke bal gifted hain(You are not the first person nor are you the last one who thinks himself as God and comes stumbling down on terra firma), says a character of the short story Behrupiya in Ray,  the anthology on short stories by master filmmaker Satyajit Ray,  The words, addressed to the protagonist of the story Indrashish, (Kay Kay Menon) , encapsulate the underlying theme of the anthology, where four short stories by Satyajit Ray have been adapted to the screen by filmmakers Abhishek Chaubey, Srijit Mukherjee and Vasan Bala.

Like all the living beings on Earth , Human Beings too are a creations of God with the Supreme power determining the various events in their destiny . However,  in this materialistic world , acquisition of wealth and power and attainment of success quite early in one's life often leads a person to develop notions of infallibility and unassailability .

The anthology Ray,  which is currently streaming on Netflix , features four short stories-Forget Me Not,  Behripiya,  Spotlight and  Hungama Hai Kyun Barpa- that seek to underline the message that the claims of infallibility and divinity by human beings are a myth and a fallacy, the bubble of which bound to burst sooner or later.

Ray is an anthology with satirical tales on human vulnerabilities 

Forget Me Not

 Forget Me Not is about Ipsit(Ali Fazal) a cut-throat corporate shark who  prides himself on his vivid memory and his accolades. A man on his way to the top of the corporate ladder, charm comes naturally to Ipsit leaving his co-workers in awe. However, a chance encounter with a woman, Rhea Saran(Bidita Bag) sends him down a vortex of self-doubt as he fails to remember her.

Directed by Srijit Mukherji, Forget Me Not plays out like a psychological thriller that brings out the infirmities of the human mind. The screenplay is gripping  keeping you hooked through the length of the episode. Ali Fazal leaves you impressed as the corporate honcho Ipsit who is brilliant with his figures but who finds himself forgetting his appointments, his anniversary and his meetings after his encounter with Rhea Saran. Bidita bag also impresses as Rhea. Rest of the cast lend able support.

Behripiya 

Behripiya  is about Indrashish Shaha(Kay KayMenon) , a timid man who longs to be a make-up artist but  is stuck at a job he hates, has a failing relationship and a burdened life.

After his grandmother passes away, she leaves him Bahuroopi, a book on making prosthetics. He uses his skills to get back at people who he feels wronged him in life and mocks God, who he curses for the shortcomings in his life. The masks he creates go from being an armour to the cause of his downfall.

Directed by  Srijit Mukherjee, Behrupiya is a satirical look at the tendency of people like indrashish to think of  themselves as God who can write their own destiny.

Kay Kay Menon is brilliant as indrashish. Debyendu chatterjee impresses as the baba who warns indrashish to shed his arrogance.

Hungama Hai Kyun Barpa

Musafir Ali(Manoj Bajpayee) , a popular ghazal singer with a secret past and Aslam  Baig(Gajraj Rao) , an ex-wrestler turned sports journalist, find themselves in each other's company on a train journey. As conversations grow, Ali realises that this isn't his first encounter with Baig. They both met each other on a similar train journey ten years back. As their journey continues, Ali's past searches for redemption in this satirical tale of two men and their intertwined fates.

Hungama hai kyun barpa plays out as a satire which looks at frailities within all of us even as we may look at others with a feeling of envy. The story features accomplished actors Manoj bajpayee and Gajraj Rao who leave us impressed with their performances. After The family man, it is another virtuoso act from Manoj Bajpayee .

Spotlight

 Spotlight is about Vik, a young actor, who finds popularity thanks to his 'look' after struggling to make it for some time. Typecast as the 'One Look Vik' He decides to get rid of the tag and prove himself. His insecurities sky-rocket when he sees Divya Didi: a God lady who enraptures everyone. The tale follows their revelations, commonalities and plight.

Directed by Vasan Bala,  Spotlight is the weakest segment of the anthology. While Harshvardhan Kapoor looks dapper as Vik, the same cannot be said of his performance. Radhika Madan, however, impresses in a brief role as didi alias Divya.

Put in a nutshell,  Ray is a satirical look at human frailities and vulnerabilities that often give rise to feelings of ego, envy and arrogance . Manoj Bajpayee, Gajraj Rao, Kay Kay Menon, Ali Fazal come up with impressive performances.

My rating;3/5. One for gripping screenplays, one for perceptive stories and one for performances by Manoj Bajpayee,  Gajraj Rao,  Kay Kay Menon and Ali Fazal.