iseries
i read
Book A Tiger for Malgudi
Film The Last Lear
Author R.K. Narayan
Director Rituparno Ghosh
Price ` 90
Language English
R.K. Narayan in this short novel explores how the depth of understanding and intellect, emotions and perception that exists within all living beings is essentially the same. The story is told by a tiger whose journey begins in a jungle. Often fancying himself to be a king, he lives a reckless life. But as his complacency grows, he loses sight of his boundaries resulting in his losing his family and eventual capture by the Circus. Here he meets his trainer and owner, the Captain. he learns fear and discipline having At the circus to succumb to another’s will for the first time. He even successfully masters the act of sharing a saucer of milk with a goat – his natural prey! Madan, a film director is captivated by the tiger and signs him on to star in a movie. As the Captain becomes steadily greedier for Madan’s money, he uses a taser on Raja whilst training. The tiger swipes off the Captain’s head in one clean blow and then escapes. Raja roams the streets sparking panic amongst the villagers until he finds shelter in a school. This is where Raja meets his Master. Staying at his master’s feet the ‘man-eater’ navigates the village heeding the Master’s advice to keep his eyes glued to his path until they reach a cave where they reside. During their time together, the Master guides and teaches Raja's mind. Over time, he hunts scarcely, staying for long periods in meditation with his master until old age takes over and he learns his last and final lesson. — By Amreetha Janardhan
56
i see
culturama | october 2011
The Last Lear is the story of Shabnam (Preity Zinta), Harry (Amitabh Bachchan), Siddharth (Arjun Rampal), Vandana (the very talented Shefali Shah), and the film swings back and forth in time to tell their story. The film begins with a confrontation between Shabnam and the man in her life and goes on to tell the story of how her life gets intertwined with that of Harry, a retired theatre actor. Siddharth, a film director, approaches Harry to act on the big screen – the eccentric Harry, his relationship with the perfectionist Siddharth and an artiste in crisis, Shabnam forms the crux of the film. But the most poetic of relationships in the film is the one Harry shares with his muse, Vandana. Although the two barely have scenes together, the script backs their roles in the most poignant manner. Shefali Shah’s presence and performance throughout the film is nothing short of brilliant. Without ever talking about her misfortune, Vandana conveys a deep sense of melancholy. Therein lies her success. One of the best scenes in the film is that of Harry with Shabnam when he helps her calm down by teaching her to scream at the mountains! As the story unfolds, we understand that Harry is in coma when the film in which he acts with Shabnam and is directed by Siddharth finally hits the screens on a Diwali day. Even the smaller roles, such as that of Harry’s nurse Ivy (Divya Dutta), are memorable. The entire film is in English and has the Bengali art house cinema stamp on it all along!