It has been a wonderful week for Ali Fazal. Only days after he enjoyed a big international release in Death on the Nile, he has bagged a nomination at the upcoming third edition of mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards. His act as the sharp but unempathetic entrepreneur Ipsit Nair — who leads the segment, Forget Me Not in Netflix’s Ray — has earned him a place in the Best Actor (Male): Series category. “I remember meeting Srijit Mukherji [director] and Sayantan Mukherjee [creator] for the project. I loved it on paper, and wanted to be that annoying kid who asks a lot of questions,” he laughs.

With Forget Me Not, the director gave a dark twist to Satyajit Ray’s short story Bipin Chowdhuryr Smritibhrom. Tampering with legends’ creations is often not taken kindly, and the anthology received mixed reviews on its release. “Everyone is selling out these days, so some things should be sacrosanct, like our favourite stories. I feel that had we not called the film Ray, the expectations would’ve been different. It’s hard to live up to the name,” Fazal smiles. Even then, he appreciates the new lens through which the auteur’s much-loved tales were revisited.