Prahlad Agarwal
Chutzpah happens when an incredible film receives 1/4th box office collections compared to another film releasing the same day, after being snubbed by critics all over the nation. Haider set in the insurgent Kashmir valley is based on Shakespearian play Hamlet, completing a trilogy by Vishal Bharadwaj after Maqbool and Omkara. It's a story about thousands of Kashmiris getting "disappeared" under the pre-text of AFSPA. The entire plot is very intricate, deep and intense comprising Haider's (played by Shahid Kapur) quest to find his disappeared father and bring the perpetrators to justice. With a brilliant cast and screenplay, Vishal Bharadwaj mesmerizes the audience with his allegorical references like the unpredictable nature of woman, dichotomy between righteousness and being wronged, "Hum hai ki hum nahi hai" reflecting Kashmir's separatist demand (Kashmir is in fact a character itself), etc. Also movie contains tiny visual character references like Tabu's (mother of Haider) mehndi being prominently displayed multiple times to perhaps indicate her serial widowhood, Haider's wounded eye to perhaps imply his inability to judge the right from the wrong, etc. The beauty of the movie is its unpredictable climax which develops out of a prolonged suspense. Haider is a masterpiece and must watch for quality cinema lovers.
morrison-dylan-fan
January 2014:Attending a screening of the first ever Lollywood movie which claimed to have been filmed completely in English, (that actually turned out to only be half in English,which thanks to the lack of Subtitles led to me not having a clue what the characters were talking about for half the time!)in the gritty Thriller Waar,I was taken aback by a breath- taking trailer,for what appeared to be a Bollywood adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet.December 2014:After spending the whole of the X-Mas period ill in bed,I decided to make New Years Eve a better event,by trying to track down a DVD of Haider. Stumbling on a news report about there being a court case in India that was attempting to stop the movie coming out on DVD over there,I was happy to discover that the UK DVD of the title was due to come out in 3 days time,which led to me getting ready to finally meet Haider.The plot:Returning home after the sudden disappearance of his dad Dr. Hilal Meer during a shoot-out over the separatism of Kashmir, Haider Meeris is surprised to find that instead of being desperate to locate him,his mum Ghazala Meer appears to be having a jolly old time with her brother in law Khurram Meer.Learning that his dad was taken for questioning by the military,Haider gets into contact with a mysterious stranger called Roohdar,who tells Haider that both he and his dad were tortured in a detention camp,which Hilal claimed he was placed in,thanks to Khurram being an undercover informant.Taking a closer look at Khurram and Ghazala's relationship,Haider begins making plans on getting revenge for their betrayal. View on the film:From the opening of the film,the score from composer/singer/co- writer (along with journalist Basharat Peer)/directing auteur Vishal Bhardwaj becomes deeply entwined with the unfolding tragedy being underlined by the industrial hum of Bhardwaj's score unleashed an extremely strong atmosphere of impending slowly covering the landscape of Kashmir.Keeping away from including any songs designed to make the soundtrack a chart topper,Bhardwaj emphasises the feelings expressed in the score,by making each of the songs (one of which is sung very well by Bhardwaj) lay bare sections of Haider's personality that are about to fall over the edge.Filmed entirely on location in Kashmir over 2 harsh seasons, (with the first section being shot during the late autumn season of November-December 2013,and the final part of the title being completed during a freezing winter season of January-February 2014)Bhardwaj and cinematographer Pankaj Kumar beautifully open every wound that the battle scar city has suffered.Placing Haider in a corrupt world filled with death & betrayal,Bhardwaj and Kumar give the first half of the title a stark,washed out appearance,whose clarity increases with Haider sets his eyes towards those who betrayed his dad. Casting a suffocating Film Noir shadow across the title,Bhardwaj & Kumar steam the darkness out of the screenplay by covering the screen in mountains of snow,which along with showing the coldness inside Haider,also reveals the destruction of purity in Haider's loved ones,as their blood turns the snow a frosty red.Collaborating with journalist Basharat Peer, (writer of the highly- praised book Curfewed Night: A Frontline Memoir of Life, Love and War in Kashmir)Bhardwaj and Peer make their modern take on Shakespeare's dialogue one that never feels gimmicky,but precise,and perfectly fitting with the decay that infects Haider.Avoiding any option of taking the film in an easy Bollywood melodrama route,the writers cast a critical eye over Kashmir,with Haider's revenge tale being used in a mature allegorical manner to show the recurring acts of violence that take place across the Kashmir boarder.Bringing a fresh-face Haider back to Kashmir,the writer's strike the film with a tremendous intensity,with Haider's relationship with his family being closely examined ,which allows for the gaps in the relationships to be exposed to a brittle sunlight.Peeling away Haider's levels of sanity,the writer's keep an unflinching eye on showing Haider's toxic revenge engulf all signs of humanity that he possessed.Shimmering across the screen,Tabu gives a remarkable performance as Haider's mum,with Tabu showing Ghazala to have a closed-in nature to her surroundings,which leads to Tabu showing the hope on Ghazala's face that Haider is still her little boy.Bringing the Oedipus complex in Ghazala and Haider's relationship,Tabu keeps away from any over dramatic notes to instead express Ghazala feelings about her son entirely through body language,with every gesture that she makes towards Haider lingering that little bit too long.Turning down (along with Vishal Bhardwaj) his wage so that every penny could be put on screen, Shahid Kapoor gives an extraordinary,trans-formative performance.Entering the film rather innocently,Kapoor makes Haider's desire to avenge his dads death an idea whose grip intensity's,as Haider feels his dad's shadow wrap around in,as he looks with new eyes at everyone who he has ever known.Sliding Haider into insanity,Kapoor wisely keeps the ghost in Haider's life on his shoulders,so that no matter how psychotic the character gets,his roots are always laid bare,as Haider wonders to be, or not to be.
akash_sebastian
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'.
