Filmmaker Sandip Ray has returned to his father Satyajit Ray’s literary world, beginning work on a new anthology that brings four of the legendary writer’s short stories to the big screen.
The film adapts ‘Khagam’, ‘Batik Babu’, ‘Bhuto’ and ‘Neel Atanka’, with production backed by Pradip Kumar Nandy under the banner of Nandy Movies. Shooting began on Friday, 13 November, reports The Daily Star.
The four stories offer distinct plots and characters, drawing on Satyajit Ray’s flair for suspense, unusual occurrences and explorations of human psychology.
Three of the selected stories belong to the horror genre, while ‘Neel Atanka’ explores the terror surrounding indigo planters during British colonial rule.
Sandip said he had wanted to return to adapting short stories for a long time. He previously directed films such as ‘Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy’ and ‘Chaar’, and adapted several stories for television.
The new project, he said, fulfils a long-held ambition to revisit the form.
The anthology brings together an ensemble of familiar faces from Bengali cinema, including Subhasish Mukhopadhyay, Saswata Chatterjee, Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Supriyo Dutta, Kaushik Ganguly, Ritwick Chakraborty, Shaheb Chattopadhyay, Subhrajit Dutta, Kaushik Banerjee and Barun Chakraborty.
The technical team includes cinematographer Sasanka Palit, art director Anandya Auddya and editor Subrata Roy. Sourodeep Ray is serving as associate director, while Lolita Ray is handling costume design.
Sandip has previously adapted several works by his father, whose stories continue to attract readers across generations.
His filmography includes ‘Bombaiyer Bombete’, ‘Kailashey Kelenkari’, ‘Royal Bengal Rahasya’, ‘Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy’ and ‘Chaar’.
The new anthology will offer another opportunity to experience Satyajit Ray’s storytelling on screen, bringing four different narratives together under his son’s direction.
