This is Amitabh's best performance after Black 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, September 11, 2007 - 09:40 IST
Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Lear was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 07. An IndiaFM fan (nickname: hap) who attended the event sent us the following.
- Each of the stars arrived one at a time at the theatre. First was Preity's limousine, to which many fans were crowded past barricades trying to get her to come over. She simply got out of the car, smiled to the crowd and then walked over to the press tent - and then headed inside.
- Arjun came next, and much to the happiness of the girls there - he walked right over from the limousine, signed autographs, took pictures and even hugged a few of the girls - to which they started crying
- But the eruption came when Amitabh arrived. He went, signed autographs - and continued to do so until he went inside. Even inside the Gala hall - the person they were all waiting for was Amitabh.
- Needless to say, it was a very intelligently made film - with yet ANOTHER career performance by Amitabh Bachchan. Here I thought he could never top BLACK, but in this one, he's truly a revelation
- Preity Zinta: It's great to see her doing a completely natural role. She played her role with real dignity and it was a pleasure seeing her getting back to her initial style of acting
- Arjun Rampal: The film should have given him more scope - as a director, his role with Amitabh was a major one - and while the scenes between him and AB were fantastic, his role was truly a supporting one - and as such, the impact is reduced
- Shefali Shah: She does not have a single scene with Amitabh Bachchan - and yet, her character, as his wife/his love, is so convincing, so internalized, and so well characterized - it was an eye-opening experience. She was truly the show stealer in this one.
- This is clearly Amitabh's movie. His character is extremely crass, very intelligent, and extremely direct. He showers the praise of Shakespeare and the transition he makes from being a theatre actor to a Hindi film actor is well etched. This is not a Bollywood movie with singing and dancing. This is a serious film which is mostly in English. This is Amitabh's best performance to date. He should sweep all the award shows next year for best actor.
- I enjoyed the pokes at traditional Hindi cinema, "box office hits", Diwali movies and the way that stars react
- Background score in the film was beautiful, touching on the traditional side of Indian instrumentation
- The "battle" of the film, of sorts, is that of attitudes - the attitude of Arjun, as the director, and the attitude of Amitabh, as the actor. There is an underlying competition as the two of them try to bring their own visions.
- The most brilliant scene of the film was initially the last - just as with Black - where the title "The Last Lear" - and yes, "The King" make true sense. For it is Amitabh that comes out in trumps in this film, and comes through with yet another career performance!
What's the movie all about?
What does a 65 year old man do? Sit at home and enjoy the fruits of retirement? If you are Harry, you are at home, relishing vodka, pondering over why has the world gone mad, busy making a doorbell that only Einstein can ring and chanting Shakespeare without a worry in the world. No, he’s not crazy. Just passionate. A little unpredictable. Slightly pompous. A wee bit whimsical. Totally adorable. Harry lives with his resilient partner, Vandana, and together, they don’t care a damn for social sanction. Harry lives for acting, loves theatre, adores Shakespeare and absolutely detests cinema. He feels that it is an apology in the name of art. Harry and Vandana are living happily in the cubbyholes of Kolkata, oblivious and invisible to the world. In walks one day Siddharth. A young, cool and stubborn director. He is smart, Harry finds out on the very first meeting. No one else could have cracked that doorbell. He is glad to have found a cerebral partner to have a conversation with. Harry has no idea that Siddharth has a film on his mind and Siddharth has no clue how tough this ride is going to be. He soon finds out that to please Harry, he just needs to like you. That should be easy. So he plays along.
As they bond over coffees, vodka and conversations, well, stuff happens. When Harry decides to do the film, he changes the lives of everyone involved. Siddharth feels his job is done. In reality, it’s only just begun. Shabnam, his co-star, picks up tips on acting, Shakespeare and happy living. She could do with all of that, considering her stumpy acting skills and messed up personal life. The film set becomes a happy, lively place. Laughter echoes in the mountains. New relationships blossom. And then comes along an event that will change everything – the shoot, the mood and the relationships. No one remains the same once they have met Harry. Despite all odds, Harry will sail through this tough situation.
He is Harry, you know. No one can hate him.
Credits
Production Company: Planman Motion Pictures
Executive Producer: Shubho Shekhar Bhattacharjee
Producer: Arindam Chaudhuri
Screenplay: Rituparno Ghosh, based on the play Aajke Shahjahan by Utpal Dutt
Cinematographer: Abhik Mukhopadhyay
Editor: Arghya Kamal Mitra
Production Designer: Indroneel Ghosh
Sound: Bishwadeep Chatterjee
Music: 21 Grams
Principal Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal, Shefali Shah, Jisshu Sengupta
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'The Last Lear' world premiere at Toronto Intl. Fest
