Now Ghosh is in the news for his forthcoming English language film, The Last Lear. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal, Divya Dutta, Shefali Shah and Jisshu Sengputa. The film is rumoured to be based on the late actor Utpal Dutt's play Aajker Shahjahan. While the principal shooting was in Kolkata, a sizeable section of the film is shot in and around the picturesque locales of Mussoorie like George Everest Estate and Dhanotti.

Commenting on this film, Bachchan, who plays the role of a retired Shakespearean stage actor who encounters a dynamic filmmaker, says, "It is a bold and offbeat venture by Rituparno. He is very methodical and does not compromise. He works very hard on each actor."

Ghosh was born and grew up in Kolkata. His high school years were in South Point High School, while he studied economics at Jadavpur University. His father was a documentary filmmaker and basically a painter, while his mother was also interested in filmmaking. No wonder the young Ghosh learnt the technological intricacies of the art of filmmaking.

The director began his career in advertising. In 1992, he made a low profile debut with a children's feature film called Hirer Angti (The Diamond Ring). However his big break was his second film titled Unishey April (19th April). The cinematic work went on to bag the 1995 National Film Award in India for the best film. Since then there has been no looking back.

The high profile Chokher Bali catapulted him to the front ranks of the Indian film industry.

Ghosh has other sources of inspiration -- film directors such as Ingmar Bergman, Bille August, Quentin Tarantino and Pedro Almodovar. His heart, he says, belongs to Kolkata. West Bengal, in his words, "is far more progressive" than other states of India.

Compiled by Cultural Correspondent