US reviewers praise Amitabh Bachchan for his role in The Great Gatsby

The megastar of Indian cinema, Amitabh Bachchan is making his Hollywood debut in Baz Luhrmann’s adaption of F Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby and while the actor has said repeatedly that as the Jewish gambler, Meyer Wolfsheim, he has a blink-and-miss role, the American reviewers and critics seems to have taken notice of the actor. Scott Foundas, the chief film critic of Variety says that Bachchan is one of the few in the film who delivers an excellent performance.  “By far the liveliest work in the film comes from two actors with only a few minutes of screen time between them: the lithe, long-limbed newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as gabby golf pro Jordan Baker, and, in a single scene that marks his belated Hollywood debut, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan as the flamboyant Jewish gambler, Meyer Wolfsheim,” writes Foundas. [caption id=“attachment_763605” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A screengrab from the film The Great Gatsby[/caption] While Variety is all praise, The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy finds it curious that someone as tall as Big B and of Indian origin was Luhrmann’s choice to play the role of a short Jewish man. The New Yorker’s reviewer, David Denby, offers this explanation for Luhrmann’s decision to cast Bachchan in the role of Meyer Wolfsheim: “The director, perhaps not wishing to be accused of anti-Semitism, cast the distinguished Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan as the Jewish gangster.” But he also adds that the casting doesn’t make sense since the gangster’s name remains Wolfsheim and is referred to as “that kike” (a slang term that’s specifically directed at Jewish people).