OK Computer (TV series)

OK Computer is an Indian absurdist science fiction comedy television series on Disney+ Hotstar created and directed by Pooja Shetty and Neil Pagedar, who co-wrote the script along with Anand Gandhi. Gandhi and his team also produced the series through the studio Memesys Culture Lab. The series stars Radhika Apte, Vijay Varma, Rasika Dugal, Jackie Shroff, Kani Kusruti, and Ullas Mohan and began streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from 26 March 2021.^[2]

OK Computer
Official Poster
Genre	Science fiction Philosophical fiction Absurdist fiction Comedy
Created by	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar
Written by	Neil Pagedar Pooja Shetty Anand Gandhi[1]
Directed by	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar
Starring	Vijay Varma Radhika Apte Kani Kusruti Jackie Shroff
Composer	Gabriel Prokofiev
Country of origin	India
Original language	Hindi
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producers	Pooja Gupta Nikhil Madhok Avani Saxena Zain Memon Abhijit Ghatak
Producers	Anand Gandhi Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar
Production location	India
Cinematography	Diego Guijarro
Editor	Charu Takkar
Production company	Memesys Culture Lab
Original release
Network	Disney+ Hotstar
Release	26 March 2021 (2021-03-26)

The title is a reference to a line from the Douglas Adams' novel, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, with the phrase 'OK Computer' being popularized by the English rock band Radiohead.

Synopsis

Set in the year 2031, OK Computer takes place in a technologically advanced India featuring holographic infrastructure and drone-operated highways. When a self-driving taxi is hacked and used to kill a pedestrian, cybercrime detective Saajan Kundu is pulled out of retirement to investigate.

Reluctantly partnering with Laxmi Suri, an artificial intelligence specialist and his former colleague, Saajan traces the case to Goa. Their investigation leads them to Ajeeb, a government-funded humanoid robot with a seemingly benign disposition.

As the inquiry unfolds, the team confronts philosophical and legal dilemmas: Is Ajeeb capable of intent or violence? Can an artificial intelligence be held accountable if manipulated by another? Could a human be orchestrating events from behind the scenes? The series explores these questions while examining the ethical boundaries of AI and its role in future society.

Cast

• Vijay Varma as Saajan Kundu
• Radhika Apte as Laxmi Suri
• Kani Kusruti as Monalisa Paul
• Ullas Mohan as Ajeeb
• Neil Pagedar as Ajeeb's voice
• Jackie Shroff as Pushpak Shakur
• Sarang Sathaye as Ashfaq Auliya
• Vibha Chibber as DCP DCP
• Ratnabali Bhattacharjee as Trisha Singh
• Rasika Dugal as Satoshi Mondal
• Alok Ulfat as Nigel Paudwal

Production

Pooja Shetty, Neil Pagedar and Anand Gandhi worked extensively through its research for three years and the team spent seven years for the work, with four years on developing the script which is touted to be an "entire universe of sequels, prequels, gaming, feature film, animation script and episodic content with multiple seasons".^[3][4][5]

The team filmed most of the series by March 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown was announced, and in April 2020, the team reported the primary cast members Radhika Apte and Vijay Varma first to the news.^[6] They also planned to enter post-production which was delayed due to lockdown restrictions.^[7] The team spent four months for post-production as it features heavy visual effects.^[8] By early February 2021, the team had completed the post-production works.^[8]

Release

The series was showcased to the officials of Disney+ Hotstar who eventually agreed for its distribution rights.^[9][8] On 8 March 2021, the first poster of the series was unveiled through social media platforms,^[10] followed by the trailer on 10 March 2021.^[11][12] The series was unveiled on Disney+ Hotstar on 26 March 2021 in Hindi and was dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi languages.^[13]

Accolades and awards

OK Computer was the first series to be screened at the Bright Future's section at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam 2021 and one of the only series to be screened in theatres at the New Zealand International Film Festival 2021.

Film Festivals and Awards

Award	Category	Recipients	Result
International Film Festival Rotterdam, 2021[14]	Bright Future [15]	Pooja Shetty, Neil Pagedar	Official entry
New Zealand International Film Festival, 2021[16]	Main Competition	Pooja Shetty, Neil Pagedar	Official entry
Filmfare OTT Awards, 2021	Best Actor Male (Comedy)	Vijay Varma	Nominated
Filmfare OTT Awards, 2021	Best Supporting Actor Female (Comedy)	Kani Kusruti	Won
Filmfare OTT Awards, 2021	Best VFX	Imagery Pictures	Nominated

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Autopilot"	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar Anand Gandhi	26 March 2021 (2021-03-26)
When a self-driving car kills a pedestrian, prickly Cyber Cell detective Saajan Kundu teams up with his estranged partner Laxmi Suri to investigate. But was this an accident?
2	"Making of a Messiah"	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar Anand Gandhi	26 March 2021 (2021-03-26)
Cyber Cell reminisces Ajeeb the robot's meteoric rise as a saviour of humankind. However, when it's brought in as the chief murder suspect, it seems to be a bumbling shadow of its former self.
3	"Ctrl + Ajeeb + Del"	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar Anand Gandhi	26 March 2021 (2021-03-26)
Cult leader Pushpak Shakur confesses to the murder, and the case comes to a sudden close. But when he wants to talk to Ajeeb in lieu of his cooperation, Saajan smells a rat.
4	"Save Progress"	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar Anand Gandhi	26 March 2021 (2021-03-26)
The search for Satoshi takes Saajan and Ajeeb into a virtual-reality game built by bots in the dark web. Meanwhile, Laxmi visits ZIP only to discover something disturbing.
5	"The Robot Condition"	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar Anand Gandhi	26 March 2021 (2021-03-26)
Saajan makes a breakthrough with the case. A surprising testimony from Laxmi seals the deal and secures a verdict in court, but the game might not be over just yet.
6	"Hello World"	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar	Pooja Shetty Neil Pagedar Anand Gandhi	26 March 2021 (2021-03-26)
Saajan and Laxmi learn that sorrows come not as singular mercenaries but as invading battalions. However, in a quiet corner of the city, truth is resurrected and finally revealed.

Reception

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave three out of five to the series, reviewing "OK Computer, made up of six episodes roughly 40 minutes each, is itself an extended cathartic joke. Persuasive and pulpy in the same sweep, it thrives on contradictory pulls. Sometimes uneven but always intriguing, it is programmed to blend piffle and tongue-in-cheek punditry in an unbridled flight of fancy."^[17] Nandini Ramanath of Scroll.in stated "OK Computer struggles in the wonderment department, but is perfectly at home tinkering with software and hardware and concluding that there is no better programme than human intelligence."^[18] Rohan Naahar of Hindustan Times stated "Besides adopting an absurdist tone that will alienate virtually all kinds of audiences, the new Hotstar series wastes its trump card Jackie Shroff."^[19] Ektaa Malik of The Indian Express gave three out of five stars stating "Even for those who like sci-fi, this Vijay Varma-Radhika Apte starrer would take some getting used to. But tide it out, as it is worth it."^[20] Pradeep Menon of Firstpost gave three out of five stating "Ok Computer is still immensely gripping, because you just never know what to expect. Some of the punchlines are so good yet so subtle, they’ll fly past you before you notice they were there. It also means that it is the kind of show that might be best appreciated with repeat viewings; because you’re absolutely missing a ton of stuff the first time around, so rapid are its mood swings."^[21]