Firstly, I am constantly surprised at the high ratings Bollywood movies seem to garner on IMDb. 8.8 for this, really? That's at par with Schindler's List, Matrix, Forrest Gump and Inception, and this movie is definitely not quite there. I would rate it a 6.5 as an international film, it has some good acting and interesting improvisations, but then its a flawed gem and not quite in a good way.
Let's start with the story. It's an ambitious project that seeks to translate the madness and greyness of Hamlet on-screen. Not many directors would be confident enough to take on and experiment with Shakespeare's most- studied and obsessive, self-destructive anti-hero. But Vishal Bharadwaj has been successful with adaptations of Macbeth (Maqbool) and Othello (Omkara) in the past, and, well, Maqbool remains his best work till date. Haider's execution is tame by comparison - a let-down when you consider the explosive pot-boiler of murder, madness, rage, revenge, recklessness, betrayal, blood and incest that the original play offers.
The decision to model the decaying state of erstwhile Denmark, and its phase in-between transfer of powers, on Kashmir is double-edged. Kashmir fits, but any storyline with Kashmir will always have to compete with the real-life tragedy of Kashmir - a compelling story of loss and loyalties in itself. Shahid Kapoor as Haider/ Hamlet is simply not good enough to bring focus back from Kashmir and its bleakness. In fact, his performance is easily trumped by Tabu's understated one - and probably not by the director's design. Which does not bode well for a movie with a titular character! Shahid probably gives one of his finer performances till date, but still comes across more as a petulant and confused child out to confound others, than as a young man beset by maddening doubts and suspicions and questioning everything - including himself.
The film adds in local twists and tales captured in stark and haunting cinematography - which is a plus point. But then, adding Kashmir to the equation does mean necessarily providing meaningful context to events - which again takes the focus away from the main narrative which ought to have been Hamlet's and Hamlet's alone. The details are sketchy and superficial. The flat political portrayal feels like biased and incomplete propaganda rather than as an atmospheric additive to increase the sense of intrigue essential to the story. AFSPA,'chutzpah' - ah, its even pronounced wrong to make the statement - like the Indian cuss-word, either very clever or very ignorant. To be fair, it is the director's own art and interpretation, even if the film sometimes makes you feel like you are watching two different stories unfurl, bound by a tentative link.
The first half is tight and taut, with a promising build-up towards the infamous obsession and reckless violence. However, the second half lets it down thoroughly, with the last half-hour dragging on unnecessarily. There are glimpses of potential, but they don't really deliver. KK Menon and Irfan Khan are quite wasted as actors, and you almost feel annoyed at the director for being such a tease - anyone else could have essayed their respective roles, and without being a bigger talent than Shahid. The doomed love-story (with Shraddha Kapoor), and his brush with the militants till the very end, feel poorly done, with inconsistent plot-flow. Tabu is the best thing in the movie, even in the most incongruous bits, and totally owns every frame she is in.
With a storyline as intense as Hamlet's, a backdrop as dramatically evocative as the 90s' militancy-riddled Kashmir, and a great ensemble of actors - well, as a viewer, I would have expected a lot more. Not a bad watch on a big screen, but there are much better films out there. Yes, 6.5 it is and no more.
Let's start with the story. It's an ambitious project that seeks to translate the madness and greyness of Hamlet on-screen. Not many directors would be confident enough to take on and experiment with Shakespeare's most- studied and obsessive, self-destructive anti-hero. But Vishal Bharadwaj has been successful with adaptations of Macbeth (Maqbool) and Othello (Omkara) in the past, and, well, Maqbool remains his best work till date. Haider's execution is tame by comparison - a let-down when you consider the explosive pot-boiler of murder, madness, rage, revenge, recklessness, betrayal, blood and incest that the original play offers.
The decision to model the decaying state of erstwhile Denmark, and its phase in-between transfer of powers, on Kashmir is double-edged. Kashmir fits, but any storyline with Kashmir will always have to compete with the real-life tragedy of Kashmir - a compelling story of loss and loyalties in itself. Shahid Kapoor as Haider/ Hamlet is simply not good enough to bring focus back from Kashmir and its bleakness. In fact, his performance is easily trumped by Tabu's understated one - and probably not by the director's design. Which does not bode well for a movie with a titular character! Shahid probably gives one of his finer performances till date, but still comes across more as a petulant and confused child out to confound others, than as a young man beset by maddening doubts and suspicions and questioning everything - including himself.
The film adds in local twists and tales captured in stark and haunting cinematography - which is a plus point. But then, adding Kashmir to the equation does mean necessarily providing meaningful context to events - which again takes the focus away from the main narrative which ought to have been Hamlet's and Hamlet's alone. The details are sketchy and superficial. The flat political portrayal feels like biased and incomplete propaganda rather than as an atmospheric additive to increase the sense of intrigue essential to the story. AFSPA,'chutzpah' - ah, its even pronounced wrong to make the statement - like the Indian cuss-word, either very clever or very ignorant. To be fair, it is the director's own art and interpretation, even if the film sometimes makes you feel like you are watching two different stories unfurl, bound by a tentative link.
The first half is tight and taut, with a promising build-up towards the infamous obsession and reckless violence. However, the second half lets it down thoroughly, with the last half-hour dragging on unnecessarily. There are glimpses of potential, but they don't really deliver. KK Menon and Irfan Khan are quite wasted as actors, and you almost feel annoyed at the director for being such a tease - anyone else could have essayed their respective roles, and without being a bigger talent than Shahid. The doomed love-story (with Shraddha Kapoor), and his brush with the militants till the very end, feel poorly done, with inconsistent plot-flow. Tabu is the best thing in the movie, even in the most incongruous bits, and totally owns every frame she is in.
With a storyline as intense as Hamlet's, a backdrop as dramatically evocative as the 90s' militancy-riddled Kashmir, and a great ensemble of actors - well, as a viewer, I would have expected a lot more. Not a bad watch on a big screen, but there are much better films out there. Yes, 6.5 it is and no more.