Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Lear makes a fascinating and unbending journey in this thought. Although his idea may be marred by dissatisfactory subtext, indifferent characterizations and uncomfortable communication; it intensely strives to distinguish greatness from genius and peculiarity from commitment. In that sense alone, The Last Lear inspired by Utpal Dutt's play Aajker Shahjahan, is effectively exciting.

Ghosh is completely captivated in interpreting the workings of his central protagonist's Shakespeare-dominated mind, where silence is a poetic pause and the untold becomes unfathomable.

Right from the opening, when we know not as what has happened when slowly till the time Jishu sengupta (the protagonist) brings light towards the events that takes the film forward and enter the characters one by one. First, Preity Zinta was very good. Portraying Shabnam, an actress troubled with her marriage and own life, who decides to take a visit at Harish's residence who is dying on the day when his first film is being premiered. Arjun Rampal meanwhile contemplates some thought that worries him. Soon we get to see the whole plot unveil itself and what exactly happens in it. How amitabh Bachchan, a man who was once a stage actor and used to play the characters of the different plays of Shakespeare being completely obsessed with Shakespeare and still lives in the lines of the plays gets to first meet Jishu and then Arjun rampal. How arjun convinces Amitabh to act in his directorial venture in a film and how the relationship between him and Amitabh (Harish/Harry) develops as between two friends and also between a director and an actor. Also unfolds other strong relationships between Shabnam (Preity) and Harish. The scenes describing the shooting of the Film, the colourful events during the shooting and also the how the film reaches its climax through the film's description.The story of the plot unfolds is narrated both by the protagonist ( Jishu) and Preity Zinta who meets Shefali Chhaya (daughter of Harish). The events in the house of Harish that take place in between the scenes of preity, Shefali and Divya Dutta (the nurse) are also quite reasonable and well crafted. The small events in Harish's house when he first meets Jishu for an interview about Neeraj marked the introduction of Amitabh in the Plot and it was tremendous. How Harry watches everything from the window outside and scorns the public for anything he sees wrong. From the first lines that he shouts "Idiot" to the mocking of the people who litters on his boundary walls is just remarkable. The way Harry suddenly breaks into the Shakespeare characters time and again is excellent. The ending of the film is so very sensitive and awesome that the character of Harry just consumes one. The technicalities of the movie were brilliant. The camera-work, background score and editing was enthralling. What really impressed me the most was the cinematography. The way small stories within the major plot take place is also so wonderfully crafted. I can say is a masterpiece has been produced. If anyone is interested in watching genuinely good movies as this one, please watch it and if you like it. Simply exceptional Indeed, this is one of Preity Zinta's most un-bubbly roles. As a traumatized soul struggling to hold back a long-due outbreak, courtesy her tumultuous, abusive relationship with her man, Zinta is palpably helpless. Sadly, her dialogues in English distract one from the seriousness of the situation.

It's an English film with crumbs of Bengali and Hindi thrown here and there, in which the priority of the language seems apt in all scenes AB. But the interaction, between his live-in companion (played by an excellent, commanding Shefali Shah), night nurse (Divya Dutta re-doing her Veer Zaara bit in English) and Preity, limps and lugs awkwardly. On such occasions, a local flavour could have added to the authenticity.

Errors aside, this movie belongs to Amitabh Bachchan. The actor is at his unconditional best, lending unrestrained brilliance, elfin nonconformist and convincing madness to the actor he portrays. Gradually, during the process, they become one, making it hard to distinguish the star from the subject. This is Bachchan's masterwork even when it requires him to do something as casual as twisting a whiskey glass around his long, perceptive fingers.

Finally, The Last Lear is a good film, which should be seen at least once.