Haider

When films transmute William Shakespeare's poetic imagery and the atmosphere that his verses conjure into re-imagined, re- contextualized visuals, and not merely reproduce the action with select dialogues, a movie adaptation of a Shakespeare play can be considered successful. That is why, thought British film scholar Roger Manvell, Shakespeare often translates best in what he considered "foreign films". The setting is one of the reasons Haider, Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Hamlet, works. It is true to the haunting ambiguity of the characters' motives in the original play, Shakespeare's most opaque of tragedies, but the Kashmir canvas is potent. Bhardwaj's visual intelligence and the screenplay by Bhardwaj and Basharat Peer, one of India's acute commentators on Kashmir, his home state, add to the effective localization. Shakespearean purism aside, Haider is a thrilling film. It is a film of luxuriant paranoia. It is about Oedipal love. Unlike the cardboard insurgency imagery or images of damaged beauty that soak most films about Kashmir, Haider is an unflinching take on the Kashmir malaise, the tragedy infused with a sense of dark humor about the ordinary Kashmiri's hopelessness. Compared to Bhardwaj's earlier two Shakespeare adaptations, Maqbool (Macbeth) and Omkara (Othello), both of which depended heavily on language and dialogues and used Shakespeare's stories rather conveniently to propel the plot, Haider is a quieter yet richer spectacle and a convincing standalone piece. Bhardwaj chooses bold strokes over gloomy introspection, and in that sense, Haider is in the tradition of mainstream Hindi cinema. The picturization of songs is riveting to watch (Pankaj Kumar's cinematography is breathtaking throughout, and especially in the songs) and the songs are some of Bhardwaj's best compositions as a music director in recent times. The melodrama towards the end loosens the narrative and the last half hour feels like a bit of a drag, again a typical affliction in Hindi films. The protagonist is far from the melancholy Dane; Haider, which Shahid Kapoor plays with impressive zest and inventiveness, is more a dashing, combustible figure than a brooder. Bhardwaj also does away with the supernatural horror so integral to the original play, and which can be an easy tool for creating suspense and drama in cinema. The horror is in the everyday macabre reality of death, loss and waiting, and in the manipulation of a Kashmiri Muslim's emotions and insecurities. Haider (Kapoor) arrives in the Kashmiri village he left long ago to study at Aligarh after his father, a doctor, has disappeared. His mother Ghazala (Tabu) is romantically close to his father's younger brother (Kay Kay Menon). Arshi (Shraddha Kapoor), his childhood sweetheart, is torn between her pro-Indian establishment family and Haider, who is devastated to see his mother's sudden transformation. His idyllic childhood with parents seemingly in love is shattered. When Roohdar (Irrfan Khan), a mysterious man with a limp sends him a message from his lost father, Haider is on a destructive path of jealousy, hatred, turmoil and doubt. Central to the story is the relationship between Ghazala and Haider— a tender as well as anguished bond between mother and son, fueling the film as essentially an Oedipal drama. The romantic love between Arshi and Haider is almost a sweet afterthought. The casting ideas work impressively well. Kay Kay Menon stands out as a superbly calculating man, the villain in Haider's mind, and Tabu makes a heart-rending Ghazala. Shraddha Kapoor delivers an earnestly fervent performance and Irrfan Khan is pitch perfect as a quietly menacing presence, the only personification close to a ghostly apparition. Salman Khan is here too, in a deliciously manufactured ode to the Hindi film hero through Salman and Salman, Haider's friends and a pair of all-round crooks, an interesting replication of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from the original play. Haider is an immensely effective re imagination of Shakespeare—and the film's biggest triumph is that the provincial, in this case Kashmir and the characters defined by its reality, shine in a universal and timeless tragedy

Haider as a must-watch, as it has a phenomenal story, which is backed up by amazing performances by every actor but Shahid Kapoor shines in this movie, this is his best performance as of now. Despite that, I got bored a few times, but then I instantly got interested, and this happened a few times throughout the movie.

Khan's death is a tragedy, but at least it led me to this absolute knock-out. A faithfully complex modern rendering of Hamlet, exploring the terrifying psychology of vengeance, guilt & forgiveness. However, that description doesn't do justice to how urgent the film is. Kapoor, who's like an Indian Tom Hardy, gives a lead performance for the ages, commanding every moment he's on screen, a screen filled with strikingly crisp & harrowing visuals.

Macbeth, Othello, and now Hamlet. Vishal Bharadwaj does it once again, by re-imagining Shakespeare in a very gritty Indian milieu. This time it is the Kashmir of 1995 in throes of militancy.

The instruments Vishal Bharadwaj used for Maqbool and Omkara, are far sharper this time around. The songs are very rustic, and completely of the type to be found in street plays (not even a symbolic nod to Bollywood or a titillation to the audiences with a Bidi). The sense of suspense even sharper (even with a story with a basis as well known as Hamlet). The characters continue to be just as eccentric as in Omkara. And death once again continues to be not an infrequent visitor just like with Omkara. Yet the context is more sombre. And the whole scenario of militancy IMO dealt with quite responsibly with (what I would imagine to be) a good sense of reality.

Not everything is wonderful. On the acting front, Tabu is impressive but understated. Shahid Kapur does well by his standards, but every so often I used to wonder how much better Pankaj Kapur would've done in some of the scenes. Shraddha Kapoor manages the role of pretty innocence well enough, but will probably cringe when she watches her own histrionics. Kay Kay Menon, and Irfan Khan of course are a pleasure to watch, but this is not their best film. While the songs aim to dramatise, I found them underwhelming and unnecessarily melodramatic in this context, Also the film is just a tad too long and could've been shortened by 15-20 minutes.

Be prepared to see a Kashmir which does not look the swiss alps but still deserves to be considered amongst the most beautiful places on earth. This kashmir is a little raw. And forms the milieu for two concurrent threads, one the intra family drama which is the very essence of Hamlet, and the general environment of militancy and counter insurgency. Moreover the plot moves at a fairly measured pace and manages to retain the interest and fascination. It might surprise you (after my earlier paragraph), but these are the reasons why I would classify the movie to be a must watch.

Yeah, go watch this, this is not to be missed, any complaints you might've notwithstanding.

The movie Haider, as most of you would be aware of is an adaptation of Shakespeaes' Hamlet. It does help if you have read the original work ,but believe me there is nothing in the movie which you cannot understand if you have not read it.In fact if you have not read it till now,its better because the story would be anew to you.

Set in Kashmir it takes the essence of problems faced in Kashmir valley due to insurgency and counterinsurgency measures though it doesn't focus on the problem alone. In a broad sense this movie is about search of a father by a son and subsequent events which leads him nearer towards revenge.

First of all the movie is not everybody's cup of tea. You've to be very patient throughout to get the real pleasure out of it. The film is slow paced so as to draw you into it, just like an old wine. And, like an old wine you are supposed to sip it and not drink it in a hurry.

The ensemble actor list is itself worth mentioning from Shahid ,Shradhha,Kulbhushan Kharbanda to the talented KK Menon,Tabu and of course the ever reliable Irfan Khan. Their performance is indeed flawless in the movie.The relationships are well portrayed ,the agony and trauma well expressed and the hate ,betrayal ,action scenes well-choreographed and scripted(especially the action sequence in the last scene). The only fault I could find in the acting department is that because of the presence of so many good actors (though the movie has good runtime still) much is left to be desired especially from Irrfan Khan whose performance is too succinct for an actor of his caliber.

As said earlier, the movie is slow paced but the script doesn't fail the plot often. There is hardly anytime where you find yourself napping in the movie. Songs are good especially Arjit Singhs voice again creates magic with 'khul kabhi'.Cinematography, background score(which sometimes sound like Bourne trilogy) are also good. Accent training for the actors could have been better as anyone who has visited Kashmir for even a short duration would find only the two Salmaans accent to be genuine. But then it is a minor fault in a movie a cut above rest.

If you are patient and could immerse yourself in the plot ,then the movie holds a lot of promise for you. But wont recommend to those who could not find tickets for another movie or those who want to have party time without application of brain.It is certainly not the best work you will ever see, but certainly a cut above rest, deserving a watch.