THE LAST LEAR

The Last Lear – A Synopsis

Harry – 65. Recluse, Eccentric. Passionate. Besides being a Shakespearean stage actor and an
ardent fan of The Master, his life seems like a play after he meets Siddharth. A play replete with
action, drama, love, emotions, tension – and an expected friendship. Siddharth is a new-age film
director – his cool clothes and casual persona well disguise his eccentricities. He is a visionary, a
visionary who would stop at nothing to get what he wants. As opposites attract, may be like-
minded people get along well too. How else would one explain the fast blossoming friendship
between these two eccentrically creative minds? When the cinema-ignorant Harry is offered a
magnificent role in Siddharths’ next film, he is apprehensive at first, reluctant later and finally
acceptable to the idea.

As the shoot takes them to the sprawling mountainous landscapes of India, new relationships
bloom. Upcoming actor Shabnam, who is struggling hard to cope with her messy personal life,
finds an unexpected mentor in Harry. He teaches her more than merely the nuances of acting.
From being a complete outsider to the world of commercial cinema, Harry soon becomes one of
them – open to learning new methods of working, chatting with the unit members and sipping tea
from a fancy thermos he never knew was invented, he is enjoying!

Little does he know that as the film rolls and he gets into the skin of the character of the Joker
that he is playing, he may be taking his role a bit too seriously. Is he that good an actor, or is Fate
really making him out to be a Joker on the set? As the intense moments unfold, which are even
more engaging that the film itself, masks would be taken off a few faces. Towards the sunset of
his life, long after the last shot is taken, as his memory fades, all that Harry can remember are his
Masters words..

“..I am doubtful as I am mainly ignorant,

What place is this, And the skill I have
Remembers not these garments, nor I know not
Where did I lodge last night,
Do not laugh at me…”
 The Last Lear – Cast & Crew

Arindam Chaudhuri presents

A Planman Motion Pictures Production
Directed by Rituparno Ghosh

Starring:
Amitabh Bachchan
Preity Zinta
Arjun Rampal
Shefali Shah
Divya Dutta
Jisshu Sengupta

Executive Producer: Shubho Shekhar Bhattacharjee

Screenplay: Rituparno Ghosh
Dialogues: Anjana Basu and Rituparno Ghosh
Director of Photography: Abhik Mukherjee
Music: Raja Narayan Deb & Sanjoy Das
Sound Design: Bishwadeep Chatterjee
Co-Executive Producer: Karun Punchhi
Art Director: Indranil Ghosh
Editor: Arghya Kamal Mitra
Costume Designers: Varsha - Shilpa
 Director’s Note

Literary and Travel Companion…

I grew up meeting Shakespeare in the streets of Calcutta. I witnessed the re-naming of `Theatre
Road’ into `Shakespeare Sarani’ (Shakespeare Street). The renaming was an attempt to erase
residual remnants of the colonial legacy but somehow Shakespeare had been invited to stay. After
all, who other than Shakespeare could be considered a synonym for `Theatre’? Shakespeare
lodged himself permanently in the cultural imagination of Calcutta.

He floated in and out of our creative lives, appearing in a multitude of spaces - the classroom,
textbooks, stage plays, films and everyday vignettes of urban life. In the heteroglossia of Calcutta’s
many voices, language and accents, Shakespeare stands like a Colossus. As a reminder that art is
never bound to the locations of their origin.

The Last Lear is inspired by the famous Bengali actor, activist and playwright Utpal Dutt and his
play “Aajker Shahjehan”. (The Emperor Today). The play is about the enormous trust and faith
that actors repose on those who support their art. Just as much as it is about the betrayals of that
very trust.

My film is about Harish Mishra, an ageing actor (Amitabh Bachchan) who is cast as the
protagonist of an offbeat film. The film-within-the film is a lamentation about the dying art of the
circus. As winds of change accompanying neo-liberal policies sweep across the country, older
cultural forms give way to newer ones. In this moment of transition, trust and treachery collide
and crumble.

Harish Mishra’s life is transformed by a Mephistophelean filmmaker and three women meet by
chance to grieve the loss of faith. As darkness melts away at daybreak Shakespeare returns to heal
the terrible scars of the night.
 The Last Lear – The Team

Rituparno Ghosh, Director, Screenplay, Dialogues

One of the most prolific film directors of India, Rituparno Ghosh has been making award winning
contemporary Indian cinema for well over a decade. After completing his schooling, he went on to
pursue his studies in Economics from the esteemed Jadhavpur University in Kolkata. He joined
Anandalok, a leading Bengali daily and went on to become its Editor. After turning Director with
Hirer Angti (The Diamond Ring) in 1992, he has consistently churned out winners. His very
second film, Unishe April (19th April) won him a National Award in India, the first of the many his
films would go on to win. His films have toured the prominent international film festivals across
the globe, from Berlin, Cannes and Locarno to Thessaloniki, Venice and Toronto. Some of his
most recognized works include Chokher Bali (Chokher Bali: A Passion Play), Bariwali (The Lady
of the House), Raincoat, Unishe April (19th April), Ustab (The Festival) and Dosar (the
Companion). The Last Lear is his latest offering, starring Indian superstar Amitabh Bachchan as
an aging Shakespearean theatre actor.

Arindam Chaudhuri, Producer

A noted economist and Management guru, Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri founded Planman
Consulting in 1996, which is now a leading management consulting firm in India. Planman
Motion Pictures was established by him in 2002 with a vision to create meaningful cinema for the
world. Over the last few years, he has made The Indian Institute of Planning and Management the
largest B-School in the world, with well over 4000 students graduating every year. Planman
Media was his initiative, which has leading magazines like The Sunday Indian, one of the first
magazines to be simultaneously published in as many as 13 languages, Business & Economy and
The Indian PC Magazine. He is a renowned management consultant and the author of best-sellers
Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch and The Great Indian Dream. He was selected as one of
the “Leading Thinkers of South Asia under the age of 40” by Wilton Park. The Last Lear is the
latest presentation from him in line with his vision for world cinema.

Utpal Dutt, Playwrite of “Aajker Shahjahan”

Born on March 29, 1929 in Barisal (Now in Bangladesh), Utpal Dutt was one of India’s finest
actors. He was one of the frontrunners of the theatre movement for over 40 years. He founded the
Calcutta Little Theatre Group in 1947 and also toured extensively with the Shakespearean
International Theatre Company. He acted in several Bengali films, including many films of the
Master Satyajit Ray. He was also one of the best comic actors ever in Hindi films, essaying pivotal
roles in comic masterpieces such as Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Golmaal, Guddi and Naram Garam,
to name a few. Utpal Dutt was also an extremely distinguished playwright. Of the several amazing
works of his, Aajker Shahjahan is considered by many to be his finest work. Perhaps his days with
the Shakespearean International Theatre Company inspired him to write a play based on a
character who is an ardent fan of The Bard. This very same play served as inspiration behind The
Last Lear.

Shubho Shekhar Bhattacharjee, Executive Producer & CEO, Planman Motion

Pictures
A member of the core team that founded Planman in 1996, Shubho has handled all the Planman
Motion Pictures releases and projects since inception. He is a long-practicing HR trainer for
Planman Consulting and also one of the most popular professors at the Indian Institute of
Planning and Management. He takes care of all the strategic and creative decisions at Planman
Motion Pictures. From scripting and casting to production and marketing, he leads his young
team towards achieving the vision.

Amitabh Bachchan, Actor

How does one introduce the biggest living superstar of India in a few words? Having acted in the
lead in over a whopping 100 films, the top honors in India and the world over and the love of over
a billion people: Amitabh Bachchan is more than just a moviestar. He represents talent,
perseverance and superstardom. For the Indians, he is their most famous and loved citizen.
Having been conferred with The Legion of Honor by the French government and crowned the
Greatest Star of the Millenium by a long-running poll by BBC in 1999, Amitabh Bachchan is an
institution by himself. His landmark films include Zanjeer, Deewar, Sholay, Agneepath, Kabhi
Khushi Kabhie Gham and Black, amongst many others. The Last Lear sees him play an actor for
the first time ever. Strange that the biggest superstar of Indian cinema, who has played everything
from a Coolie (Porter) to a Don, from a Sharabi (Alchoholic) to a Jaadugar (Magician), has never
really played an actor. The Last Lear is also his first-ever full length English language film.

Preity Zinta, Actor

One of the top actresses in Hindi films, Preity Zinta has acted in over 25 films since her debut in
1998 with Dil Se, opposite superstar Shah Rukh Khan. She has been the reigning queen of
commercial Hindi cinema for years now, having worked with almost all top actors. She has won
several Best Actress awards, including Kal Ho Naa Ho, where she popularized the Plain Jane
look. From serene to smashing, she easily slips into various characters. With The Last Lear, she
dons a look that she has never done on screen before – that of an Indian woman of today, who is
progressive yet traditional.

Arjun Rampal, Actor

From super-model to a star, Arjun Rampal grabbed several awards on his debut itself. Having
begun his career only in 2001, he already has an impressive portfolio of over twenty films. From
romance and drama to comedy and thrillers, he has got into several garbs. In The Last Lear, Arjun
plays a young filmmaker who convinces this stage veteran to act in his film.

Shefali Shah, Actor

Having begun her acting career in 1995 with one of that years’ biggest hits Rangeela, Shefali shot
to fame with her performance in Satya. She won several awards for her powerful performances
over the years. In The Last Lear, Shefali plays Vandana, Harry’s (Amitabh Bachchan) companion
who stands by him through the thick and thin of life. She beautifully portrays their platonic
relationship that goes beyond the realms of society’s understanding.

Divya Dutta, Actor

Divya began her movie career in 1994 and has acted in over 40 movies since then. A natural on
screen, she won several hearts and awards for her performance as the loving Shabbo in Veer
Zaara. In The Last Lear, she plays Ivy, a nurse who is nursing her own heart as she tries hard to
tending her patient back to health.

Jisshu Sengupta, Actor

Jisshu is the biggest sensation of Bengali films in recent history. Young, talented and a natural,
Jisshu started his career with award-winning director Aparna Sen’s Mr. & Mrs. Iyer. In the Last
Lear, he plays a young journalist who accidentally meets Harry and unknowingly changes the
lives of everyone involved.

Abhik Mukhopadhyay, Director of Photography

One of the most talented cinematographers of India, he is also one who has shot films using a
variety of mediums, from DV Camera to 35 MM and from color to Black & White. His camera
works like magic on any film. From the rain-soaked love story Raincoat to the black and white
drama Dosar and you-will-never-guess-it’s-shot-on-HDV Shoonya, he has done it all. With The
Last Lear, Abhik has shot Kolkata beautifully and captured the beauty of the Himalayan summers
with equal ease.

Arghya Kamal Mitra, Editor

ArghyaKamal began his career in 1997 with Kahini and Rituparno Ghosh’s Dahan (Crossfire).
After that, he has worked with Rituparno is almost all his films. His work was especially
exemplary in Chokher Bali: A Passion Play, The Festival, Views of the Inner Chamber and The
Companion. In The Last Lear, he has pieced together a narrative that often moves back and forth
with incredible dexterity.
Bishwadeep Chatterjee, Sound Designer
Having commenced his career in 1998, Bishwadeep has already worked in a bagful of films that
range widely in genre as well as scale. From a mid-1900’s Indian love story Parineeta to a period
drama (Devdas), Bishwadeep has won several awards for his outstanding work. From Mr.
Bachchan’s high baritone to the quiet chirping of the mountain birds, The Last Lear sounds the
way it does thanks to this skillful designer.

Raja Narayan Deb & Sanjoy Das, Music

Raja and Sanjay come together for The Last Lear after Dosar (The Companion), their first full-
length feature film. They are young, innovative and unique. Their work in The Companion was
widely appreciated. In The Last Lear, they have used amazing cross-over sounds; from the solo
cello to the middle-Eastern exotic sound of the Duduk (an Armenian reed pipe) woven together
expertly with the maestro Rashid Khan’s vocals, they have put together an array of unique sounds
that intermingles beautifully with the film.

Indranil Ghosh, Art Director

Indranil Ghosh is one of the most distinguished art directors of contemporary Indian cinema. His
work has stood out especially in films like Choker Bali: A Passion Play and Raincoat. He has a
knack of making the ambience blend so perfectly with the story, with his expert touch in the
fabrics and furniture used, that audience rarely believes it is a set they are seeing. He has worked
with Planman Motion Pictures in 5 films already, including Faltu, Sunglass and Dosar. In The
Last Lear, he has expertly created the environs of a man’s home, who physically breathes in urban
India, but mentally lives in a bygone era.

Varsha-Shilpa, Costume Designers

The young, creative and energetic duo of Shilpa-Varsha has made their mark in costume
designing in under a year. They began their careers in 2006 with I See You, a fantasy romance, a
tricky genre to begin with! From then, they went on to design for a Hungarian film Overnight and
a documentary on the excavation at ancient Indian cities Harappa and Mohenjodaro. For The
Last Lear they have brilliantly executed the unique look of Harry (Mr. Bachchan) and most of the
lead cast. Flowing locks, elegant robes and traditional saris, The Last Lear look is an interesting
palette of several unique characters whose character reflects strongly in the way they dress.