'Last Lear'to have world premiere at Toronto Film Festival

Mumbai, Aug 16 (UNI) Planman Motion Pictures (PMP) today announced to hold the world premiere of their film 'The Last Lear', directed by Rituparno Ghosh and starring Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal and Shefali Shah at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9.

A Prof Arindam Chaudhury presentation, the film will be premiered at the Roy Thomson Hall, the largest and most prominent theatre in Toronto.

Immediately on the heels of the Cannes spectacle, where Rituparno Ghosh's 'Dosar' which is also produced by PMP was screened to an enthralled world audience, 'The Last Lear' has been selected for a Gala Premiere, the most prestigious section and centerpiece of the illustrious Festival.

Amitabh Bachchan, Rituparno Ghosh, Prof Arindam Chaudhury, Shubho Shekhar Bhattacharjee, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal and other cast and crew members of the film will be walking the red carpet in Toronto.

Speaking to reporters today, a jubilant Prof Chaudhury said, ''This is a very important and powerful film. The story, Rituparno Ghosh's magic and the performances are all world class. This is our next film in our commitment towards fine cinema. I am sure this film will be appreciated as much by the world audience as by the Indians.'' 'The Last Lear' will see Amitabh Bachchan playing an actor on screen for the first time ever. Also, this is going to be the superstar's first-ever full length English language film.

''It was a delight working with Amitda. All this while I have been hearing that he is a thorough professional. But now I realize that it is only a partial description of what he is. Amitda brings in so much of warmth, sincerity and genuineness in his performance that the experience is truly endearing and enjoyable,'' said Rituparno Ghosh.

Over the last 32 years, the Toronto International Film Festival has grown into one of the most important film festivals of the world, showcasing the cream of world cinema.

Planman Motion Pictures CEO Shubho Shekhar Bhattacharjee said ''This is a powerful Indian English film, mounted and styled in a way that it appeals to the global audience. We are planning and programming the campaign in such a way that it becomes a truly international presentation from India. We can assure that the Toronto Gala Premiere will just be the beginning of an ambitious original Indian presentation.'' Since its inception in 2002, PMP has made films like 'Dosar', which is making waves at various film festivals around the world.

'Faltu', yet another PMP production was in competition at a film festival in Spain, where it stunned the western audience with its dazzling visuals and distinct narrative.

Some of the PMP projects in pipeline include 'I'm 24', a modern day laugh riot written and directed by Saurabh Shukla. The next one under pre-production is 'Rangeen', a hilarious adaptation of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. The film is written and directed by Sharat Katariya of 'Bheja Fry' fame.

Immediately after the grand premiere, PMP will wrap up the post-production of Rituparno Ghosh's comic fantasy 'Sunglass' starring Jaya Bachchan, Madhavan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Naseeruddin Shah and Raima Sen. The lyrics for the film have been penned by Prasoon Joshi and the songs have been choreographed by Bosco-Ceaser.

UNI