Review of Haider (2014) by Hamzah K — 27 Jan 2015

Director Vishal Bahradwaj's 'Haider', the talented filmmaker's third brilliant Shakespeare adaptation, sets the story of 'Hamlet' in 1995's war-torn Kashmir (Northern India). Not only does it shed light on the civilians' plight, the military atrocities and rising tensions in Kashmir during that period, but also explores the lead characters in such unique light, especially, the mother-son relationship; the sexual undercurrent is maintained well, quite nuanced.

Haider's character might deviate a bit from the original story, but his development is intriguing and apt for this story. The film not only gives us a strong Hamlet (Haider), but also gives us a memorable Gertrude (Ghazala); she's the more mysterious character, we never know what's going on in her mind. These characters are strong because of the excellent writing and the terrific performances by the two actors, Shahid Kapoor and the ever-so-beautiful-and-sensational Tabu. Kay Kay Menon is excellent as always, and Shraddha Kapoor also gives a commendable performances.

The cinematography by Pankaj Kumar is just spectacular; he has captured Kashmir with such elegance. The music composed by the Director himself (as always) is quite mesmerizing; they certainly add to the charm of the film. I liked the rage-filled stage-play song ('Bismil'), and really loved the grave-digging song ('Aao Na') as well. The only annoying thing was the particular score from 'The Bourne Ultimatum' which was used twice in the movie; it was a bit distracting.

After the movie is over, everyone would very well remember the word 'chutzpah'; the satirical references of this word with the military's (AFSPA) actions were quite hilarious. The Salman Khan and 90's songs references may not be understood by people who don't follow Hindi cinema.

It's mainly a political drama, and has an interesting opinion on revenge, and among all this, it was interesting to see how Bharadwaj created these Shakespearean moments at crucial points in the story.

Ultimately, it's not Bharadwaj's best film, but it's certainly one of the best adaptations of 'Hamlet'.