Directed by the creator of the rags to riches story "raju ban gaya gentleman" and the excellent tongue-in-cheek comedy "Yes Boss" this is a superlative movie about the life of the Indian lower middle class of the late 70s. The angst, the issues are portrayed in a poignant manner. The acting is memorable with Naseerudin Shah as the titular character overshadowing everybody else. There are also other great actors like Om Puri in a two bit role, Satish Shah in a small but effective role as a local ruffian, Smita Patil as the handicapped sister of Albert(absolutely intense performance) and above them, Shabana Azmi as the girlfriend of Albert who has to bear his tantrums and face his insecurities regarding her. The movie plays on the backdrop of the Mumbai Cloth Mill strike. It perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the 70s like Dev D. did for the the first decade of the millennium. A must watch for every lover of good cinema. This is one movie which Indians should be proud of. The technical details could have been better but it has its heart in the right place. 4 out of 5 for this. A shame that no channel carries such socially relevant movies any more.