Filmmaker Indrani Ray’s short Dinner in Lockdown starring Shibani Akhtar and Shekhar Ravjiani—part of her critically acclaimed anthology—has been selected to screen at the Grenoble Indian Film Festival in France on February 22, 2025. “A joyous surprise in the month of love,” Ray said gleefully!
During the global lockdowns of 2020-21, Ray wrote and executive-produced her debut anthology, featuring Adil Hussain (Life of Pi, Delhi Crime), Shibani Dandekar (Made in Heaven) Shekhar Ravjiani (Neerja), Dipannita Sharma (16th December) Natasha Rastogi (Made in Heaven). Produced by Tanvi Gandhi the anthology made remotely at the time the world was shut down – with a transatlantic nano-crew including DoP Karan Thapliyal (Academy Award-winning The Elephant Whisperers) and NYC-based editor Eu-nah Lee— authentically captured the zeitgeist of the time, all round.
Premiering at Viacom’s Voot Select Debut Shorts Festival (2021), the anthology gained recognition purely on merit, with no PR push—earning praise from critics:
“Lockdown film is a difficult genre to crack especially since there have been so many of them but Indrani Ray seems to have perfected it, bringing unparalleled grace and warmth in her trilogy. While Tea and A Rose is reminiscent of Satyajit Ray’s Charulata, with Dinner in Lockdown Ray manages to tell a hard hitting and moving story in a very short span.” Humans Of Cinema
The film series also got some love from the festival circuit: Chicago South Asian Film Festival – Special Mention, Direction (Tea and a Rose), DFW South Asian Film Festival – Best Shorts Director & Best South Asian Short (Tea and a Rose); Best Actor Nom (Adil Hussain), Female Eye Film Festival, Toronto – Official Selection, South Asian Heritage Month on Screen, UK – UK Premiere and now Grenoble Indian Film Festival 2025, France – Dinner in Lockdown
A storyteller at heart, Ray made the leap from advertising (Grey, Lowe Lintas) to filmmaking, blending her creative expertise with hands-on production experience. To break into the industry, she launched an innovative audio content company that brought Bollywood programming to international markets— later acquired by BookMyShow – India’s leading entertainment aggregator. From advertising to content creation to indie filmmaking, Ray is carving a unique space—one authentic story at a time.
“Every recognition feels sweet – more so as the climb has been steep – being an outsider, but when you love something you give it your all – the anthology was a joyous culmination made possible by a stellar team – couldn’t have done this without them!” Ray concludes.
