Is 'The Last Lear' Amitabh Bachchan’s best?

Is 'The Last Lear' Amitabh Bachchan’s best?

Critics across the world are comparing Amitabh Bachchan’s acting in The Last Lear to performances by the all-time greats like Toshiro Mifune and Richard Burton.

Protests from some political parties and moral brigades notwithstanding, ‘The Last Lear’ is set to hit the marquee on Friday even though its Mumbai premiere has been called off after a group of vandals damaged the movie’s posters at a multiplex.




But if the movie’s release is halted or obstructed (govt. forbid) in any part of the country, it would be a loss for the movie buffs who would miss out on what is being described by the critics world-over as a riveting performance by Amitabh Bachchan .

Directed by Rituparno Ghosh , ‘The Last Lear’ has already been to a couple of film festivals – including the Toronto Film Festival last year where the response to the movie, and particularly the Big B’s performance, was so overwhelming that it scared the superstar.

“Jesus! This is getting a little scary!" Amitabh had confessed back then.

The response and adulation was no different at the London Film Festival. The movie got a standing ovation at the end of its screening and, if reports are to be believed, none other than Sir Richard Attenborough – the giant of a director who made ‘Gandhi’ – congratulated the Big B and hugged the Bollywood superstar in appreciation of his performance.

And the critics who saw the movie lavished praises on the superstar. One critic goes on to say the ‘The Last Lear’ is “Big B’s best till date”.

Another one who saw the flick in Toronto says: “Like Richard Burton, Toshiro Mifune or other larger-than-life greats, Bachchan demands to be watched.”

Well, I’ve got my ticket booked in advance.