OK Computer (Part One) 2021

Episodes One, Two and Three of this webseries will screen as OK Computer (Part One)

Can AIs develop consciousness? Will robots turn on us? Do machines have rights, and subsequently responsibilities? A thoroughly entertaining sci-fi murder mystery, Pooja Shetty and Neil Pagedar’s Hindi limited series OK Computer – an apt reference to Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy – eschews the usual dystopian nightmares (e.g. Ex Machina or Black Mirror) for an absurdist comedic approach to humanity’s techno-philosophical quandaries.

Set in Goa 2031, the world is now populated by people and our robot workers: from self-driving cars, to wifi-providing bots, to automated cleaners. OK Computer makes exemplary use of its production design with a cobbled-together yet detailed visual aesthetic that supports strong writing and on-point performances.

With tongue firmly in cheek, the creators manage to wrestle thoughtfully with their weightier themes, such as a moment when, accused of making itself more likeable to people by acting clumsy, on the lam super-robot Ajeeb says: “For non-human species, there is only one truth in this world, only the cute survive”. The limited series format allows the story to unfold with a number of pleasing twists and diversions (plus gags aplenty) before pulling together all the narrative strands at its conclusion. — Jacob Powell

“The wholehearted dedication to what is often pure nonsense, delivered in a deadpan manner, is among other things what makes OK Computer so original, so wonderful.” — Stefan Borsos, International Film Festival Rotterdam