The Last Lear – A Study in Pattern Based Design

Last Friday I went to Mumbai for some office related work. The work was finished by 4.00 pm and I was supposed to meet my brother, Prashant around 9.00 pm. I had 5 hours to kill. I was near CST station so I went to Sterling Cinema, just to check out what options I had. One of the new releases was 1920, a ghost story by Vikram Bhatt. I generally don’t like ghost stories (Last one I really liked was ‘The Sixth Sense’). The only other option was ‘The Last Lear’ by Rituparno Ghosh. The star cast includes Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal, Shefali Shetty (Chhaya) and Divya Dutta. It was tempting enough. So I bought the ticket for 150 rupees and sat on one of the stairs reading Eldest waiting for the showtime.

I liked the movie but if you are a fan of regular masala bollywood movies please don’t go and watch this movie. You will end up cursing me for recommending the movie. But if you like to watch sensitive cinema once in while, please, please, please go and watch this movie. It is one of the very well shot movies I have ever seen. The scenes between Amitabh Bachchan and Arjun Rampal which are set in Amitabh Bachchan’s old Kolkata house are amazing.

But what inspired me the most is the set of the Amitabh Bachchan’s old Kolkata house. It is a study in pattern based design. The wallpaper, the flowerpots, the furniture, the lamps and the yellow light. Trademark Rituparno Ghosh. A treat to watch. The performances by everybody are really good. The characters are very well crafted. All in all a treat for a serious cinema lover.

And when I came out of the movie I found myself in the old Mumbai area near CST, with yellow street lights, cloudy sky and brief drizzle of rain. After the movies cinematic experience this atmosphere was enchanting. I just kept strolling the streets till my brother came to meet me.

What a lovely evening!

Rating: 

Art film Lovers: 3.5 / 5 

Regular Bollywood Fans: 2 / 5