narration from Goutam (Jisshu Sengupta), a journalist who recalls his encounters with the veteran actor. He had suggested Harish for the lead role to his elder brother Siddharth (Arjun Rampal) 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 on the stunning Himalayan foothills of Mussoorie. 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 the least the reason for his illness. The Last Lear becomes a captivating reflection on the comparative artifices of stagecraft and cinema. Cast Amitabh Bachchan as Harish Mishra Preity Zinta as Shabnam Arjun Rampal as Siddharth Kumar Divya Dutta as Ivy Shefali Shah as Vandana Jisshu Sengupta as Goutam Kumar Prosenjit Chatterjee as Cameo appearance Reception Nirpal Dhaliwal of The Guardian 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, Amitabh Bachchan, is a combination of Steve McQueen, James Stewart and Sean Connery all rolled into one but in this film he is closer to Bruce Forsyth and Derek Jacobi. Janet Gruttsman of Reuters mentioned that the film doesn't have any song and dance routines which are usual highlights in Bollywood cinema. IndiaGlitz praised the film's cinematography and acting but criticized its screenplay, especially the ending. Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com gave it 3 out of 5 stars saying that "[The problem with The Last Lear] is that while Ghosh builds Harry's aura to perfection, everyone around him fails to reach out." Awards 2009: Star Screen Award for Best Film in English 2009: National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English 2009: National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress - Shefali Shah References External links International Film Festival of India - The Last Lear entry Toronto International Film Festival - The Last Lear entry English-language Indian films Films featuring a Best Supporting