The magic and the magnificence: The Last Lear

 

 

Undeniably the most awaited film of the year, Indian cinema might never be the same again after this veritable cinematic paradigm shift, The Last Lear, hits the screens on September 12. The film's award-winning director Rituparno Ghosh, talks about his craft, his canvas and one Amitabh Bachchan, in what promises to be his greatest performance ever while Arjun Rampal holds his own in a year that sees him come of age... Subhash K Jha rounds of this special presentation with a review of what he says is a 'magnificent film'.

From modelling to acting, what is your story like?

It’s a long story (laughs)…it’s been a great journey, a learning experience, made a lot of friends. I’ve seen a lot of growth, not in terms of monetary or materialistic things but as a person.

Do you feel an actor needs to attain a certain level of maturity to opt for movies like The Last Lear?

I feel it’s a great time for an actor or for that matter anybody in the Indian film industry. Look at films like Rock On, Om Shanti Om or The Last Lear, you realise that the audiences have grown to accept films like these. And all these films can co-exist within the same parameter and there is an audience for all of them, which I would say is a wonderful thing. Today, Mr. Bachchan, Preity and I can go ahead and be a part of a non-commercial scenario in spite of being commercial actors. It’s about knowing that you want to do it and that you have an opportunity to do something special and with passion…

What was the deciding factor for you – Rituparno, the script or Planman Motion Pictures?

Of course it was the script. I also did want to work with Rituparno Ghosh and we had spoken about a few films earlier but those didn’t work out and when he came to me with the script of The Last Lear, I was totally blown away. Then there was Mr. Bachchan and Preity attached to it. In fact when I asked him, why don’t you make it in Hindi as well, for it would be a blockbuster, to which Rituda said ‘that is not what I do, I will only make a film I believe in. It’s not that I doubt it would work in Hindi, but I am not comfortable with Hindi, I don’t understand the language and if I cannot be true to it, I will be cheating.’ I think that’s pretty remarkable of him and of Planman Motion Pictures as well. I grew a lot as an actor and it was a wonderful experience. I’m very proud of the film. Did the early criticism ever bother you?

I’m not here to prove anything to anyone, I’m here to do work that I enjoy thoroughly, but if I were to prove myself as an actor, I’d prove it to myself, not to anybody else. I believe the mistakes you make become the footholds for you to step on…

You play a director in The Last Lear. Has that in any way made you a more sensitive actor?

The director I play in this film is actually a very cold person (grins), he is sensitive only towards his work, he is sensitive only towards the characters in his films, and he is quite obsessive and eccentric. You have to be sensitive about your film, by that I mean your director, producers, your co-stars, technicians as everybody together make the film. You just try to do your job and make that film happen according to the vision of the director. When one person doesn’t comply with the working of the team, the whole film suffers. So yea, on that level, I am more sensitive as an actor… Have your famously good looks ever come in the way of the choice of roles in your career?

I think it’s not the choice of roles; it is the option of roles or the opportunities one gets and it has happened. When people won't look beyond your looks, and then 10 days into shooting, when they get to know you better, they go like “s%#@ man, I never thought of you like this.” I keep stressing that one should make up opinion after you get to know the person.

It didn’t upset me as I realise that it is something I have to live with; that certain people see me like that and are probably not being creative enough. People who know me have repeated me in their films like Shah Rukh and Farha cast me in OSO and believed that I could pull off characters of a 30-year-old and a 60-year-old. Even Rituparno Ghosh came up to me and said that he wanted me to look like a very simple, straight and realistic director from Kolkata and he moulded me into that. Those are visions of my director and it is my job as an actor to try and turn them into reality.

What inspires Arjun, the person?

My work and the love for my work… It is the confidence of those who are close to me and have stuck with me through everything that we term as failures. Those people have been very instrumental and very inspiring for me.