/> Kolkata has gone berserk. All roads lead to the studio where Rituparno Ghosh is currently shooting with Amitabh Bachchan for The Last Lear.

"It's such a joy to be here, to drive past the streets that fill me with nostalgia.At a function I met up with my old colleagues from the old company where I worked before I left for Mumbai to be an actor. To just drive past the place that I used to stay and where I worked is such an emotional experience."

It's a stampede-like situation out there in Kolkata. Point this out to the Big B, and he laughs, "I try and meet all the wonderful enthusiastic crowds when I come out of the studio. It's nice to be so loved. Kolkata has always been very special.

I've come back to Kolkata after quite a while to shoot. There seems to be a general upliftment in the city.

The roads are wider and cleaner. ...lots of new buildings...Yes, the city has changed. But the people's enthusiasm has not. Their passion enthusiasm and love are so invigorating.I've never witnessed such enthusiasm in any part of the world."

The experience of working with Rituparno Ghosh has also been invigorating for Ritu. "It's wonderful to work with someone who's so creative and intellectually equipped. It's rare to come across a filmmaker so steeped in cinema, history, aesthetics and culture.

I thought the budget constraints would cramp the production values of this film. To my surprise there're no compromises on that score. I'm so so happy to see there's no end to the technical finesse in the end-product even if the budget is a fraction of what we generally spend on an average Hindi film."

The Big B is also delighted to team up with Aveek Mukhopadhyay the DOP of Bunty Aur Babli. "He's doing a marvelous job. He shooting with 3-4 cameras simultaneously. So we don't have to take a break for close-ups and mid-shots.

There's a huge satisfaction in knowing that everything is shot in one fluid movement. Given the constraints of lighting, it's amazing how space is being used in Last Lear."

He's also enjoying reciting Shakespeare in English. "The toughest portions are the recitation. I play a languishing near-retired Shakespearean actor. Several Shakespaerean plays come into play.

I had done amateur plays of Shakespeare as a student. But that's hardly of any help here. Ritu did provide me with lots of films and books to prepare me for Shakespeare. But once the camera is on, you're on your own.

It's a huge challenge. The dialogues serve a dual purpose. It's not just about my character reciting those dialogues but also how they connect with the present. Very interesting, but tough."

The Big B is having a wonderful time shooting with Shefali Shah, Arjun Rampal and Preity Zinta. "Ritu treats all his actors so gently. We're all having such a wonderful time."

He returns to Bombay soon to shoot the Mehbooba song for Sholay with Abhishek and Urmila Matondkar. "We're only waiting for Abhishek's dates to shoot that song," says the Big B before he gets ready for the next rhetorical flourish on Ritu's set.