The Last Lear

<p>The story revolves around Harish Mishra ( ), 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 ( ) has to attend the premiere of her latest movie, . However, she decides to visit her co-star Harish and heads to a cubbyhole in old Kolkata, where Harish is bedridden in a coma. He is being taken care of by Vandana ( ) and a nurse, Ivy ( ). 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 emerge. The movie sees parallel narration from Goutam ( ), a journalist who recalls his encounters with the veteran actor. He had suggested Harish for the lead role to his elder brother Siddharth ( ), 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 in the stunning Himalayan foothills of . 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 least, the reason for his illness. becomes a captivating reflection on the comparative artifices of stagecraft and cinema. of 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, , is a combination of , and all rolled into one but in this film he is closer to and . Janet Gruttsman of mentioned that the film does not have any song and dance routines which are usual highlights in Bollywood cinema. IndiaGlitz praised the film’s cinematography and acting but criticized its , especially the ending. Sukanya Verma of gave it 3 out of 5 stars saying that “[The problem with ] is that while Ghosh builds Harry’s aura to perfection, everyone around him fails to reach out.”</p>