Followers

Pages

Saturday 12 July 2014

Haider

Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers


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. 


31 comments:

  1. This one is going to be a show of the most outrageous of human emotions. Can't wait to relish the treat. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Explicit details...informative

    ReplyDelete
  3. Explicit and informative...creates interest. ...very nice

    ReplyDelete
  4. great post ... I agree as you write this- "Their strength lies in their complete lack of pretension and grandeur. A necessary .............."
    liked what you said about 2nd Oct. being its release date...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kokila. Thanks for reading and sharing your view

      Delete
  5. Finally something different to look forward to I am sick of the stupid movies being made these days.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I 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..

    Bikram's

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to know you have seen the two masterpieces. Thanks for reading and sharing Bikram

      Delete
  7. I 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ankita,

      Have 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.

      Delete
    2. Omkara was full of cuss words and after watching this trailer, i do not think I will ever watch this movie.

      Delete
    3. Omkara 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.

      Delete
    4. I did not miss those emotions that were depicted in Omkara, I just disliked a heavy use of cuss words.

      Delete
    5. Well, the good and the not so good are often inescapably bound to each other, as you will notice in life as in films.

      Delete
    6. whatever, but I did not like this Haider trailer at all.

      Delete
    7. No problem. Its a personal choice

      Delete
  8. Nice piece Anupam! Now counting days...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Even 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
    good wishes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you like the post. Good to know you admire Shakespeare. Who doesn't Ruchi ?
      Thanks for dropping by and sharing your view.

      Delete
  10. Waiting for this one. This will be the special one in Shahid Kapoor's acting career. Vishal Bharadwaj is a genius.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope it is Krishna. Waiting

      Thanks for reading

      Delete
  11. I don't watch movies any more. But with your passionate analysis it can't be missed.Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank You. M glad you could relate to what I've said.

      Delete
  12. Sadly, 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!

    ReplyDelete