In 1982, when E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial took over the world, Satyajit Ray was low-key advised to sue Steven Spielberg. Yup, you heard that right. Ray’s unmade script, The Alien, was said to be the real inspiration behind Spielberg’s iconic film, and some big names, like sci-fi legend Arthur C. Clarke, thought Ray had a case. Clarke even told Ray to “file a copyright case and not take it lying down.”
But Ray, being the legend he was, didn’t go down that road. Instead, he called out the whole thing chilly, saying he didn’t want beef with Spielberg or Lucas. He thought their alien stories were getting too complicated when he was helped, pure, and—let’s be ahead of its time.
But Ray didn’t go into total courtroom drama. “Other than this personal complaint, I do not quarrel with the makers of science and space fantasies,” he said. Ray had no beef with Spielberg or Lucas; he felt their stories were getting too complicated. His was simple and pure—a young boy befriending an alien in rural Bengal, while Spielberg’s E.T. told the story of a boy hiding an alien in suburban America.
Despite the similarities, Spielberg denied plagiarism, saying he was just a high school student when The Alien script was circulating in Hollywood. But still, the overlap is hard to ignore. Imagine if Spielberg had made E.T. in Bengal—maybe India would’ve been the alien hotspot instead of the U.S.
No legal battle ever happened, but the story of The Alien vs. E.T. adds another layer to Ray’s legacy. Today, a new generation discovers Ray through Netflix’s Ray, a series that reimagines his short stories. Who knows? Maybe one day, The Alien will finally get its due.
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