Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and among the most powerful and influential tragedies in English literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others”….
A
king’s brother murders him, marries his queen and seizes his throne.
The slain emperor’s son returns for revenge. That’s how thematically basic and
yet how forceful is Hamlet’s (Haider’s) story. When
I watched Irfan Khan starrer - Bharadwaj directed Maqbool (adaptation of
Macbeth), I had secretly wished Vishal to adapt all famous plays of
Shakespeare. Having grown up reading “Merchant of Venice”, “Romeo & Juliet”,
“King Lear”, and “Othello”, I was always destined to fall for the remarkably
accurate versions of William Shakespeare’s plays, which I saw in Vishal’s
direction. He has been answering my wish with Omkara (Othello) and now
Haider (Hamlet). Oh ! the so famous dilemma, “to be or not to be”.
Bharadwaj’s
adaptations run with the exact amount of realism and dark sarcasm which blend
to leave an indelible impression on the mind. Their strength lies in their
complete lack of pretension and grandeur. A necessary relinquishment in order
to convey the minutest of human despicability, with the requisite deal of
unabashedness. Revenge, ambition, lust, conspiracy, betrayal, jealousy, the
list is endless and yet all portrayed with immaculate precision in his adaptations. The beauty of his depictions lie in the fact
that they never give up the essence of human vices despite a consistent risk of rejection.
One recalls that murky chilled night, when a ghost walks the battlements of Elsinore Castle in
Denmark. Discovered first by a pair of watchmen, then by the scholar Horatio,
the ghost resembles the recently deceased King Hamlet, whose brother Claudius
has inherited the throne and married the king’s widow, Queen Gertrude. When
Horatio and the watchmen bring Prince Hamlet, the son of Gertrude and the dead
king, to see the ghost, it speaks to him, declaring ominously that it is his
father’s spirit, and that he was murdered by none other than Claudius. He asks
Hamlet to avenge his murder. He asks him to finish Claudius who usurped his
throne and married his wife, the ghost disappears with the dawn. The opening
lines of the trailer resonate with that pathos “Haider…take my revenge from my
brother. Rid his eyes with bullets, which he used to deceive your mother”
Hamlet’s theme and characterization are perhaps the deepest in the history of literature. Indulging readers in dramatization of the
complex philosophical and ethical issues that surround cold-blooded murder,
calculated revenge, and thwarted desire. This is the same play where you’ll
hear Shakespeare’s famous line of dilemma “to be or not to be” To be, or not to be, that is the question— Whether
'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune, Or
to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? This
is where Hamlet bemoans the injustice of life and contemplates death or
suicide. You’ll see a glimpse of Shahid Kapur performing the historic scene in
the trailer. The cast is glorious as it is glitzy. With Irfan Khan, Tabu, Kay
Kay Menon, Shahid Kapur, Shraddha Kapur the performances are sure to make the
film what it ought to be, strong. The film is likely to be remembered for the
political message embedded in it, haunt because of the portrayal of human
depravity and challenge with
its depiction of sexual conflict.
Watch the trailer..
Don't miss the movie on 2.10.14. It is hard to ignore the irony in the choice of Haider's release date. A film depicting the shallowness of soul and evils of human nature will premiere on Gandhi Jayanti. I believe the equally significant point as the irony is the unmistakable similarity in the element of awe that is evoked by such choice as it is by virtue of the darkness of the theme.
This one is going to be a show of the most outrageous of human emotions. Can't wait to relish the treat. :)
ReplyDeleteMe too Tushar
DeleteExplicit details...informative
ReplyDeleteThank You Chaitali.
DeleteExplicit and informative...creates interest. ...very nice
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Chatali
Deletegreat post ... I agree as you write this- "Their strength lies in their complete lack of pretension and grandeur. A necessary .............."
ReplyDeleteliked what you said about 2nd Oct. being its release date...
Thanks Kokila. Thanks for reading and sharing your view
DeleteFinally something different to look forward to I am sick of the stupid movies being made these days.
ReplyDeleteYeah!! Thanks AT
DeleteI too am looking foirward to this one and yeah vishal bhardwaj has made good movies .. I have in my collection both Omkara and Maqbool.. both are awesome movies..
ReplyDeleteBikram's
Good to know you have seen the two masterpieces. Thanks for reading and sharing Bikram
DeleteI have read Hamlet and it is really amazing! the way plot takes shape keeps the readers hooked however I don' thing we can expect the same from this movie. the trailer failed to impress me.
ReplyDeleteAnkita,
DeleteHave you read Macbeth and watched Maqbool, have you read Othello and watched Omkara? If you haven't then please do. Will give you a better perspective about Vishal's adaptations. Please wait till you have watched the film and not just trailer.
Thank you for reading.
Omkara was full of cuss words and after watching this trailer, i do not think I will ever watch this movie.
DeleteOmkara was adaptation, devoid of pretension. You perhaps missed the strong undercurrent of human foibles and failings, which depicted Shakespeare's portrayal of love, envy, suspicion and betrayal in Othello.
DeleteI did not miss those emotions that were depicted in Omkara, I just disliked a heavy use of cuss words.
DeleteWell, the good and the not so good are often inescapably bound to each other, as you will notice in life as in films.
Deletewhatever, but I did not like this Haider trailer at all.
DeleteNo problem. Its a personal choice
Deleteyes! :)
DeleteNice piece Anupam! Now counting days...
ReplyDeleteSame here brother
DeleteEven I am waiting to watch this movie on Big Screen, hope it release here too, ur post has hit d right chords, Hamlet is Dark play, I just love reading Shakespeare for its marvel,Loved that Mel Gibson movie too :-D
ReplyDeletegood wishes
Glad you like the post. Good to know you admire Shakespeare. Who doesn't Ruchi ?
DeleteThanks for dropping by and sharing your view.
Waiting for this one. This will be the special one in Shahid Kapoor's acting career. Vishal Bharadwaj is a genius.
ReplyDeleteHope it is Krishna. Waiting
DeleteThanks for reading
I don't watch movies any more. But with your passionate analysis it can't be missed.Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank You. M glad you could relate to what I've said.
DeleteSadly, I haven't seen either Maqbool or Omkara. I saw the trailer of this a couple of days ago and the line about bullets with which it begins sent chills down my spine. The dialogue is delivered so calmly, yet the anger behind it is crystal clear. The dialogue was brilliant, I felt. Will be a refreshing change from the masala movies that are being churned out week after week!
ReplyDeleteWatch it Sreesha. Thanks for reading
Delete