HAIDER: THE REVIEW

“To watch or not to watch?”

If that is the question then the answer is “Definitely! Go for it!”

Vishal Bhardwaj is back with his 3^rd Shakespeare adaptation which completes his trilogy. After Maqbool (Macbeth) and Omkara (Othello) comes Haider- the Hindi film adaptation of ‘Hamlet’. Hamlet, being one of the most prominent and widely read plays by the Bard of Avon raises the risk for any artist trying to adapt it in any art-form. Moreover, a Bollywood film won’t be one of the forms in which you would want this magnum opus to be in.

But Haidergoes all out and rubbishes these doubts andbreaks all stereotypes. Bhardwaj has set his version in the Kashmir of 90s. The film has been shot entirely in the valley and hence the cinematography gets a superior edge. The landscape has been captured beautifully: chinar trees, all that snow, wooden houses, the downtown locations and outskirts- marvellous! The Kashmiri folk and their unpleasant situation has been shown aptly. The Kashmiri accent has been picked by the actors somewhat nicely though it sounds forced many a times.

The sanctity of the characters of ‘Hamlet’ has been maintained while the story has been altered cleverly. Bhardwaj has done full justice in all the departments he has been part of- direction, screenplay and music. Background music is terrific. Undoubtedly terrific! Amount of songs have been kept as less and effective as possible.

Performances by the whole cast are outstanding. Shahid Kapoor excels as Haider delivering perhaps his best performance till date. Kay Kay Menon as Khurram (Claudius) and Tabu as Gazala (Gertrude) are simply awesome and the experience they have is visible. Irrfan Khan in his cameo is flawless and has the right amount of swag that makes the film thrilling. Shraddha Kapoor as Indian Ophelia does what she has to and manages to rescue herself from being bizarre at times. All actors are amazing.

Ultimately, Haider has all the elements of a thriller. Hamlet was an epic drama and this film has contributed something to its legacy in its own way by making a few changes to the base concept of the Shakespearean tragedy. (Hint: Everyone does not die in the end.) Even if you have read Hamlet and know what’s in store, you’re on your toes throughout. Some scenes especially the song ‘Bismil’ give you goosebumps. A few scenes look out of place but that adds on to the authenticity I guess (i.e. ‘Ao Na’ sung by the old men at graveyard seems funny and awkward but nice after a few seconds).Haider is different from Hamlet in being ‘badass’ with all guns (and grenades) blazing. It’s a poetry (of Violence). :D

RATING: 4.5 / 5

THIS ONE’S A MUST WATCH. 

NOTE: The #boycotthaider campaign is trending on social networking sites for the reason that this film’s anti-India or anti-army. All these arguments and allegations are baseless as far as I see after watching the film. Well, if you miss this film for such kind of madness, you’ll be losing out on a masterpiece. Don’t do this Chutzpa. #boycottBANGBANG. GO WATCH HAIDER!!