Big B to play King Lear in his next

Mumbai: Superstar Amitabh Bachchan will play King Lear in a new Hindi film that attempts to examine the artistic rivalry between theatre and cinema, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

In his next film, tentatively called The Last Lear or Curtain Call, he portrays a stage actor who plays King Lear.

"I'm a fading theatre actor who gets a film offer," Bachchan told a national daily, referring to his role in the film to be directed by art-house filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh.

"I like the subject. There has constantly been friendly friction between theatre and cinema,” Bachchan added.

Several top theatre actors have found fame in commercial cinema playing character actors, and Bachchan says he envied those who strode both arenas with equal ease.

"My character has to contend with going from theatre to cinema. This is the dilemma that Ritu wants to bring in,” Bachchan said.

Bachchan's latest film, Eklavya, in which he plays an ageing royal guard, has drawn applause from British actor Ralph Fiennes as having a Shakespearean edge.