Ray | Spotlight – A quirky take on the intoxication of star power – within & outside

I must admit I watched Spotlight with some trepidation having read a few reviews which were less than adulatory about it.

Ray is 3 filmmakers’ tribute to the master writer & auteur filmmaker Satyajit Ray in his birth centenary year. Each of the 4 epis are based on his short stories. Vasan Bala’s Spotlight is based on a story by the same name but takes just the premise of it, with the rest of the film built inspired but independent of Ray’s story.

Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor plays Vik – a one look wonder who has taken the film industry by storm much to the chagrin of movie critics. However unlike what they may think, Vik is not only intensely aware of his ‘uniqueness’ & the success it comes with but also the limitations it poses. He is a classic case of an artist who believes he is capable of much more but neither talent nor confidence (by others) are on his side.

Vasan Bala has created a rather self deprecating film world which has no qualms in calling out its own pretentiousness or of those inhabiting it. Phrases like “Kafkaesque/Lynchian reality” are thrown in with full cognisance of how idiotic they sound in given context. Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor as Vik is equally self deprecating when required but also delivers well when Vik is tortured & losing it by how similar someone else’s (spiritual God woman Didi) “talent” is to his & that also with a much higher success level.

Watch this film for a creative (if slightly over indulgent, over stylised at times) take on Ray’s story & remember his own words when it came to adaptations- “…if a novel or a short story is adapted into a film, it may be necessary to make certain changes to it, in the interest of the art of cinema. This film makes more than “certain” changes & the end is really out there. Personally I enjoyed the open ended climax.

As a film, Spotlight catches your attention with a quirky story which takes cognizance of today’s social scene, able performances & well written dialogues. Chandan Roy Sanyal is excellent as Vik’s sometimes exasperated but always loyal manager and his chemistry with Harsh Varrdhan is truly enjoyable. Radhika Madan as the mysterious God woman Didi has a small but impactful appearance & really puts chaar chaand in the ending. The confrontation between Vik & Didi is much anticipated and Vasan Bala & his actors make sure they don’t disappoint when it finally happens. Akansha Ranjan Kapoor’s Anuya is the perfect antithesis to Vik in that she is comfortable with the work she does, even if others may find it ridiculous. Unlike Vik she has no artistic dilemmas. However, the film would have fared even better had it been shorter.

PS – There are many references to Ray’s works – from T shirt to totem designs & a lot in between, catch them if you can!

👩🏾‍💻- @netflix_in

Direction – Vasan Bala

Cast – Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor, Radhika Madan, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Aakansha Ranjan Kapoor

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