Haider. In classrooms, seminars and conferences, we talk of Indianizing Shakespeare, we spend days thinking whether or not it is appropriate to use the word appropriation for transcreation, and what not. Well then, call it an appropriation, a transcreation, or a creation -- here is Vishal Bhardwaj, the Indian Shakespeare-wallah, with his Haider. A human document. Let us not get into the question whether Bhardwaj remained loyal to Hamlet, or made it his own narrative. When it was necessary to stick to the text, he did. When it was not so, he didnt. He reads Shakespeare brilliantly and there is absolutely no doubt about this. The matter ends here. Coming to the actors, the film has again been an instance of what wonders a collective under-acting can do! Shahid Kapoor makes you feel that there is no other potential Haider in Hindi film industry at present. The passivity, the crisis, the indecision, the madness -- how perfectly these suit him! Along with Shahid, Tabbu looked flawless. Irrfan Khan played a cameo as per his reputation. Kay Kay Menon came, saw, and conquered. The recurrent, haunting background score (which would, sooner or later, be available on youtube as Haider theme) is a Vishal Bhardwaj classic. I do not think the film could have been shorter, for not a single minute (including the songs) is irrelevant.The gravediggers, the metatheatre, the crude humour -- all remind us of one of the greatest revenge tragedies of all time. Yet, I think, despite Bhardwajs frantic attempts at the end of the film to claim that Kashmir played a pivotal role here, Haider is not about Kashmir. It is never so. Yes, perhaps Kashmir was the easiest means to put forward the theme Inteqaam sirf inteqaam lata hain, and it works as a suitable backdrop. But nothing more than that. The film neither takes up the Kashmir-problem, nor distorts it.
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 16:12:04 +0000
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