124.123.162.209 at 10:25, 26 July 2021

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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox film
|name = The Last Lear
|image = TheLastLear.jpg
|caption = Movie poster
|writer = [[Rituparno Ghosh]] [[Utpal Dutt]]
|starring = [[Amitabh Bachchan]] [[Preity Zinta]] [[Arjun Rampal]] [[Divya Dutta]] [[Shefali Shah]] [[Jisshu Sengupta]] [[Prosenjit Chatterjee]]
|director = [[Rituparno Ghosh]]
|producer = [[Arindam Chaudhuri]]
|music = Raja Narayan Deb Sanjoy Das
|cinematography = [[Abhik Mukhopadhyay]]
|editing = Arghya Kamal Mitra
|studio = Planman Motion Pictures
|released = {{Film date|df=yes|2007|9|9|[[Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]|2007|9|12|Worldwide}}
|country = India
|runtime = 130 minutes
|language = English
}}

'''''The Last Lear''''' is a 2007 Indian [[drama film]] directed by [[Rituparno Ghosh]]. The film won the National Award of India for Best Feature Film in English in 2007.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Rituparno-wins-national-award-for-Last-Lear/articleshow/4984188.cms|author=Ratnottama Sengupta|title='Rituparno wins national award for Last Lear'|work=[[The Times of India]]|agency=TNN|date=8 September 2009|accessdate=28 July 2018}}</ref> The film stars [[Amitabh Bachchan]], [[Preity Zinta]], [[Arjun Rampal]], [[Divya Dutta]], [[Shefali Shah]] and [[Jisshu Sengupta]]. Shefali Shah won the Best Supporting Actress National Award for her role in the movie. It was produced by Arindam Chaudhuri of Planman Motion Pictures.

==Production==
Basing the script on [[Utpal Dutt]]'s semiautobiographical play ''Aajker Shahjahan'', [[Rituparno Ghosh]] penned it in 2006, and turned to the actors in February 2007, all of whom accepted the offer.<ref name=hindustantimes>{{cite news|author=Diganta Guha|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|title=The Last Lear based on play|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1935541,001100030009.htm|accessdate=2 March 2007|archivedate=6 March 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306052319/http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1935541,001100030009.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The film began shooting from 28 February 2007 to 10 April 2007; principal shooting took place in [[Kolkata]] and some shooting took place in [[Mussoorie]], [[Uttarakhand]].<ref name=hindustantimes/> Dubbing for the film ended on 31 August 2007.<ref>{{cite news|author=Subhash K Jha|agency=IANS|work=Times of India|title=Unique gift for Rituparno|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/India_Buzz/_Unique_gift_for_Rituparno/articleshow/2329202.cms|accessdate=6 September 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018084013/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/India_Buzz/_Unique_gift_for_Rituparno/articleshow/2329202.cms|archivedate=18 October 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''The Last Lear'' premiered at the [[2007 Toronto International Film Festival]] on 9 September<ref>{{cite news|work=Hindustan Times|title=Bachchan starrer selected for Toronto Film Festival|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bachchan-starrer-selected-for-toronto-film-festival/story-qe6Ani0x0OfUibuCa7rcyJ.html|accessdate=28 July 2018|location=Chennai, India|date=17 August 2007}}</ref> and received a significant reception, earning many accolades after being showcased at a Gala Presentation.<ref>{{cite web|author=Taran Adarsh|author-link=Taran Adarsh|publisher=[[Bollywood Hungama|IndiaFM]]|title=''The Last Lear'' well received at Toronto film fest|date=11 September 2007|url=http://www.indiafm.com/news/2007/09/11/10090/index.html|accessdate=28 July 2018}}</ref>

The film was later showcased at the [[London Film Festival]], and the [[International Film Festival of India]] in [[Goa]].<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The Indian Express]]|title=Surily Goel designs for The Last Lear|url=http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=254235|accessdate=6 September 2007}}</ref> The film was received positively by critics with many saying that Bachchan has given a career best performance.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Bollywood Hungama|IndiaFM]]|title=Critics positive towards The Last Lear|url=http://www.indiafm.com/features/2007/09/11/3020/index.html|accessdate=28 July 2018}}</ref>

==Plot==
The story revolves around Harish Mishra ([[Amitabh Bachchan]]), a retired Shakespearean theatre actor who spent precisely thirty years and nine months on stage and then suddenly quit, and his first and last act as a cinema artist. He is immensely passionate about Shakespeare, believes that nothing even comparable can ever be written, knows all his plays by heart, lives in those stories, condemns modern cinema and considers theatre as a much higher artform for directors and actors to convey their message to an audience.

It is Diwali, a time when box offices are flooded with new releases and Shabnam ([[Preity Zinta]]) has to attend the premiere of her latest movie: ''The Mask''. However, she decides to visit her co-star Harish and heads to a cubbyhole of old Kolkata where Harish is bedridden in a coma. He is being taken care by Vandana ([[Shefali Shah]]) and a nurse, Ivy ([[Divya Dutta]]). Vandana treats Shabnam with spite as she blames her and the entire cast and crew for Harish's condition. But soon they are seen bonding over tea and are involved in a conversation about Harish. In flashbacks, their story and equation with Harish emerges.

The movie sees parallel narration from Goutam ([[Jisshu Sengupta]]), a journalist who recalls his encounters with the veteran actor. He had suggested Harish for the lead role to his elder brother Siddharth ([[Arjun Rampal]]) who happens to be an ambitious perfectionist director. After a casual meeting with Harish, Siddharth realizes that to convince Harish to act in his film, he has to win his trust and establish a relationship with him. And, hence, the impatient young auteur attempts to win the trust and collaboration of the aged performer, who sits raging against the modern world from the sanctuary of his study.

Harish finally agrees to act in the film. Shooting happens on the stunning Himalayan foothills of [[Mussoorie]]. On the sets he befriends Shabnam and teaches her lessons on acting, life and Shakespeare. As the story unfolds one gets to know his relationship with Vandana, the reason behind his quitting theatre and last but not the least the reason for his illness. ''The Last Lear'' becomes a captivating reflection on the comparative artifices of stagecraft and cinema.

==Cast==
*[[Amitabh Bachchan]] as Harish Mishra
*[[Preity Zinta]] as Shabnam
*[[Arjun Rampal]] as Siddharth Kumar
*[[Divya Dutta]] as Ivy
*[[Shefali Shah]] as Vandana
*[[Jisshu Sengupta]] as Goutam Kumar
*[[Prosenjit Chatterjee]] as Cameo appearance

==Reception==
[[Nirpal Dhaliwal]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' called it "The most god-awful film I have ever seen", criticizing its use of rather hammy English language than Hindi and mentioning that the main actor, [[Amitabh Bachchan]], is a combination of [[Steve McQueen]], [[James Stewart]] and [[Sean Connery]] all rolled into one but in this film he is closer to [[Bruce Forsyth]] and [[Derek Jacobi]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/sep/22/bollywood|author=Nirpal Dhaliwal|author-link=Nirpal Dhaliwal|title=The most god-awful film I have ever seen|work=[[The Guardian]]|publisher=[[Guardian Media Group]]|date=22 September 2008|accessdate=28 July 2018}}</ref>

Janet Gruttsman of [[Reuters]] mentioned that the film doesn't have any song and dance routines which are usual highlights in Bollywood cinema.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-toronto-bachchan/bachchan-experiments-with-english-in-new-movie-idUSN1037008720070911|author=Janet Gruttsman|title=Bachchan experiments with English in new movie|work=[[Reuters]]|date=11 September 2007|accessdate=28 July 2018}}</ref> IndiaGlitz praised the film's cinematography and acting but criticized its [[screenplay]], especially the ending.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indiaglitz.com/the-last-lear-hindi-movie-review-10480.html|title=The Last Lear Review|website=IndiaGlitz|date=13 September 2008|accessdate=28 July 2018}}</ref> Sukanya Verma of ''[[Rediff.com]]'' gave it 3 out of 5 stars saying that "[The problem with ''The Last Lear''] is that while Ghosh builds Harry's aura to perfection, everyone around him fails to reach out."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2008/sep/12lear.htm|author=Sukanya Verma|title=Effectively intriguing|website=[[Rediff.com]]|date=12 September 2008|accessdate=28 July 2018}}</ref>

==Awards==
*2009: [[Star Screen Awards|Star Screen Award]] for Best Film in English
*2009: [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English]]
*2009: [[National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress]] - Shefali Shah

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|id=1039969}}
*[http://pib.nic.in/prs/iffi2007/birth.pdf International Film Festival of India - ''The Last Lear'' entry]
*[http://www.tiff07.ca/filmsandschedules/filmdetails.aspx?ID=706041448041386 Toronto International Film Festival - ''The Last Lear'' entry]

{{National Film Award Best Feature Film English}}
{{Rituparno Ghosh}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Lear, The}}
[[Category:English-language Indian films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress National Film Award-winning performance]]
[[Category:Films set in Uttarakhand]]
[[Category:Films shot in Mussoorie]]
[[Category:Indian films based on plays]]
[[Category:Films directed by Rituparno Ghosh]]
[[Category:Best English Feature Film National Film Award winners]]

The Last Lear - Revision history

124.123.162.209 at 10:25, 26 July 2021