The trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby will be released online later today. The film has generated much buzz in India as it features Amitabh Bachchan in a ‘friendly appearance’ alongside stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire. TOI brings you an exclusive first look at Big B’s character, Meyer Wolfsheim ahead of the release of the first trailer, which lasts 2 minutes 22 seconds. This is Bachchan’s maiden Hollywood outing and what we know is this: while he makes a ‘friendly’ appearance in the film, he is prominently visible throughout this early trailer. Bachchan had earlier, on his blog, played down his participation in the film, citing it a “mere one scene appearance as a friendly gesture.” As Big B narrates it, the Australian director during a private visit to India in 2010 had dropped by his office to meet him. Then in August 2011, “called and wondered if I would do this small role in his film and I agreed. It is a gesture.” Interestingly, Big B has refused “any remuneration on this” role. “As to why Baz chose to ask me, is something that perhaps he would be better placed to answer,” Bachchan Sr further wrote. In the book, while at lunch in one scene, Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio) introduces the young Nick Carraway (Maguire) to Meyer Wolfsheim (Bachchan), a disreputable character who proudly calls their attention to his cufflinks, made from human molars. Wolfsheim, an infamous gambler, claims responsibility for fixing the 1919 baseball World Series. Luhrmann’s film, with a reported budget of $126m, is currently being shot in Sydney. Earlier reports suggest that Luhrmann is considering shooting sections in 3D.
