A web series based on legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s short stories is being developed by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. The project, directed by National Film Award winner Srijit Mukherji, was announced on Wednesday to mark Ray’s 97th birth anniversary.
Titled X Ray – Selected Satyajit Shorts, the 12-part series will be produced by Tipping Point, the new digital content branch of Viacom 18.
“One aspect of Satyajit Ray which probably gets overshadowed by his cinematic genius is his remarkable treasure trove of short stories which an entire generation grew up on,” said Ajit Andhare, the Chief Operating Officer at Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. “These stories appeared in groups of 12 across years and covered diverse genres like horror, drama, satire etc. It is an honour to get an opportunity to adapt 12 such stories for this web series.”
Ray, known for his iconic films such as Pather Panchali (1955), Mahanagar (1963), Charulata (1964) and Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1969), also wrote numerous short stories and novels. Ek Dozon Gappo and Aaro Ek Dozon are among his famous short story collections.
Tipping Point is also developing other web series, including an untitled crime thriller directed by Imtiaz Ali, Soumendra Padhi’s drama about phishing scams titled Jamtara, and Abhishek Sengupta’s psychological thriller Best Days.