Sep 14, 2008 02:22 PM
3403 Views
Rituparno surprises me with surprises every time I voluntarily sit to be surprised by his surprising vision. Yes…I know that was a little verbose…..lekin kya kare? Rituparno’s films are so verbose that I can’t help being inspired to improve my command over the language. I loved ‘Raincoat’ and ‘Antarmahal’ and now ‘The Last Lear’ just got added to that list.
Harry(Amitabh) is a veteran Shakespearean actor who is so passionate about theatre and Shakespeare both(can’t decide which one he is more crazy about) that he scorns at motion picture cinema. Shakespeare and theatre are in his heart, his soul, his breath, his mind and practically in his very existence.
He meets a a young filmmaker Siddharth(Arjun Rampal) who is as passionate and crazy as Harry himself is, though about motion picture. Therein begins a journey of the two men in understanding each other, oneself and the discovery of a medium they’re both dispassionate about(Sid for theatre and Harry for films). Preity Zinta plays a young model turned actress Shabnam, who bonds with Harry through a very different bond that the one he has with Siddharth.
It is erroneous to judge actors based on the script since they are simply puppets in the hand of a director. And this is where we have the master of Hindi motion picture cinema and the undisputed king of the film….Amitabh Bachchan. He rises above the script and hence judging him to be much more talented than most other actors today is damn easy. I won’t say this is Amitabh’s best performance since I loved him equally in many other films….. Trishul, Shakti, Sarkar, Cheeni Kum, Khakee to name a few.
But his voice, body language, passion for cinema(in reality) and passion for theatre(in the film) are so convincing….just like the bell Arjun has conviction about(see the film…you’ll know what I mean). Arjun Rampal was alright….always found him wooden….still do….haven’t seen Rock On so won’t comment on that. Pitted against Amitabh he looks ‘ok’ at best. No comparisons…but honestly in the scenes they have together he’s barely visible. Preity Zinta does a much better job….
She’s very believable as the oppressed woman and the actress who is trying to get her foothold in cinema. Shefali Shah……never fails to impress me….love her since her days in ‘Hasraatein’(a TV soap directed by Ajai Sinha who also made Justajoo and Astitva). She’s got extremely expressive eyes and modulates her voice to suit the scene like none other. By and large the best actor after Amitabh in the film. Jisshu Sengupta was damn good too….he doesn’t have many dialogues but his body language conveys a lot. Divya Dutta excels in a small role.
Characterisation in The Last Lear is wonderful. Amitabh’s constant recitals of Shakespeare, the robes he wears at home, the eccentric, obstinate passion for being a perfectionist….it really shows that his character was very well sketched. Arjun’s character is equally well done….though Arjun doesn’t quite live upto it….the entire bearded look, the constant ‘clicking’ with the camera, the investment of time into Harry for getting him to act in the film, the passion for the film’s climax to be perfect…its all wonderful. Preity Zinta’s character is brilliant….she’s got a dual role in the film…one of an oppressed woman and an actress….both are well weaved….her compassion towards human beings, her concern for Harry, her support to Shefali and Divya are all indicative of her basic nature. Shefali’s character was good too….but seemed half baked in places…why would she go to stay with a man after seeing him on stage once? No explanations in the film.
Background score and cinematography are of utmost importance in this film. The background score changes each time Harry gets into his ‘Shakespeare mode’ accentuating his act and also in the emotional sequences, it brings out the flavour of the character’s body language. Cinematography has been thought over really carefully….there are many close shots and mid shots with a blurred background, and a single person in the frame indicative of how alone that person is in his/her mental space. Wonderfully subtle!
This review has stretched beyond what i’d though of writing….can’t help the flow of words after scrutinizing a wonderful piece of art. The Last Lear is a brilliant tale of passion and grief with fantastic dialogues, an able cast, wonderful background score, imaginative cinematography and a talented director….Rituparno Ghosh. Not to be missed for anything. I usually set monetary limits(personally) for judging the worth of films……as regards The Last Lear….spend even your last rupee…to watch a masterpiece.
