Artificial Intelligence. Real Problems

Co-produced and Written by a critically acclaimed filmmaker, Anand Gandhi, and Produced, Created, Written, and Directed by Pooja Shetty and Neil Pagedar, this 6 part series is set to launch on 26th March 2021 in 7 languages on Disney+ Hotstar VIP  

If the 3 Laws of Robotics prevent any AI from harming a human being, then what made a self-driving car run over a man in the quaint streets of North Goa? Well, bhavishya mein aapka swagat hai! 

Disney+ Hotstar VIP welcomes you to the year 2031 with Hotstar Specials OK Computer – India’s first sci-fi comedy. A series that gives you a sneak peek into the near future, a future that has arrived faster than anyone could imagine, and a future in which there are no legal or moral precedents for crimes committed by A.I for justice systems to follow, and the question of who to blame persists! 

As the case progresses, and cybercrime detective, Saajan Kundu  – one who has an unflappable prejudice against robots clashes with the feisty Laxmi a tech-positive, empathetic, resourceful representative of ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Every Robot (PETER)’ to solve this murder mystery, one can only expect the unimaginable to happen. With social commentary hidden between layers of comedy, a mockumentary style of narration, and visually striking imagery, OK Computer is nothing like any series you have seen before. The future is indeed Ajeeb!

Helmed by the makers of cult films such as Ship of Theseus and Tumbbad, OK Computer is an unconventional series written and produced by Anand Gandhi, Pooja Shetty, and Neil Pagedar. Starring Radhika Apte, Vijay Varma, and Jackie Shroff; this futuristic series will make you question if AI helps or hinders? The series explores themes inspired by current realities and is brimming with wry humour. OK Computer features bots like Maushi BOT, Welcome BOT amongst others which are designed specifically to cater to Indian sensibilities, and also the  Shudh-Hindi that makes a grand come-back in the series.  The series also features an imminent cast including Rasika Dugal, Vibha Chibber, Sarang Sathaye, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, Kani Kusruti among others. 

Gaurav Banerjee, President & Head – Hindi and English Entertainment, STAR India said, “With every growing year, we aim to bring stories that are bold, imaginative and relatable to the audiences and the story of Hotstar Specials presents OK Computer fits the bill perfectly. We are excited to step into a different genre and bring India’s first sci-fi comedy show to our viewers with a stellar star cast and collaborate with one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, Anand Gandhi for this non-formulaic series. Most sci-fi stories tend to paint a grim, western view of what the future looks like. But Ok Computer is a peak into an India of the future. From the design of the bots to the nomenclature of the institutions, the show looks futuristic yet rooted, high tech yet very Indian. We are hopeful it will entertain while being thought provoking.”

Director Pooja Shetty said, “By the time we finished research and writing, OK Computer began to resemble a whimsical Ph.D. thesis. We wanted to create a plausible, authentic, and accessible future world that also extrapolated the absurdities, joys, and difficulties of present-day India. Maushi Bot and Ajeeb were born out of deliberation on this very idea. Ajeeb in particular generated the greatest awe in the writers’ room because – as a sentient messiah robot accused of murder – its character aptly encapsulated the shifting sands of worship and suspicion. The pursuit of a sentient intelligent entity is the pursuit of crafting something in our own image. As we move to make machines more realistic, and more human in their interactions, we have to now ask ourselves, is our species ready for competition?”

Director Neil Pagedar said, “OK Computer is a half-a-decade-in-the-making love letter to science fiction. Sci-fi has been used to examine the wispy concepts of life as we know it- from exploring distant reaches of the galaxy to existential risk, to the place of humanity in an infinite cosmos. We wanted to reorient the depiction of sci-fi to the near future. We wanted to design an Indian science fiction story that investigated the role of rapidly evolving technology in a society that’s multi-cultural, diverse, and idiosyncratic. At a time when scientific progress exceeds the grasp of society, OK Computer seeks to be a zany, mad, incisive bridge to the future.”

Synopsis

On a quiet, smoggy night in a quaint coastal town in North Goa, when a self-driving taxi crashes into a human pedestrian, killing him instantaneously,  a vexing question presents itself to the authorities –  who is to blame? Is it the CEO of the taxi company? Or the supervising programmer on the night shift? Or could it be the car itself? While the law scrambles to ascertain culpability, cyber cell agent Saajan Kundu (Vijay Varma) discovers that this was no accident, it was a premeditated murder, only to be counter questioned by the feisty Laxmi (Radhika Apte) who leads a ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Every Robot (PETER)’ and firmly believes that AI is not capable of harming humans. Is this all a part of a sinister plan masterminded by a former government employee – a 4-foot-tall robot by the name of Ajeeb Derideo? As Saajan and Laxmi try to unearth the mystery, what new truth will they unravel?

Who is the real killer?

The truth unfolds on Hotstar Specials presents OK Computer, set to release on 26th March for all subscribers of Disney+ Hotstar VIP and Disney+ Hotstar Premium

Disney+ Hotstar VIP offers an unmatched entertainment experience to users with the world’s best stories and LIVE sporting action coming together on one platform. With an annual subscription of Disney+ Hotstar VIP viewers can enjoy mega-blockbuster films that will directly release on the platform like Laxmii, Dil Bechara, Lootcase and more, the best of global movies and shows dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu including SuperHero (Avengers: End Game, Iron Man 3), latest animation films (Frozen 2, The Lion King), kids favourite characters (Mickey Mouse, Doraemon), exclusive Hotstar Specials shows in seven languages like the hugely popular, Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors, Special Ops, Aarya, The legend of Hanuman, LIVE-sporting action and much more!