Just watched Haider. The reason i watched it is because my lovely friends on facebook have been good enough to provide some outstanding reviews for the movie. Personally, i was rather disappointed with it. This movie had potential. Adaptations of Shakespearean plays are hard as it is but remaking it in a political setting in 90s Kashmir was a good idea. Added context to the whole thing.
(SPOILER ALERT) The thing about the story is that in the original play there is a sense of finality to the proceedings in the end though in a rather chaotic way (Claudius, Laertes and Hamlet are all killed by the same god-damned poisoned sword) At the end of the day, the protagonist and all the people he loves dies. Thats what makes it a tragedy. But more importantly it finishes the story. Hamlet NEEDS to kill Claudius in order to complete it. Leaving him alive would undermine the premise of the play itself (which is revenge) . Haider decides to add a sense of morality to the proceedings.
There is an inherent theme in the movie about revenge. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. That sort of thing. To spread a message of how revenge is unnecessary and harmful to everyone, the writers decide to leave out the crucial part where Haider kills his uncle. Sure he leaves him badly injured with both his legs blown off and begging for death. But the point is he MAY have survived it, which defeats the entire purpose of the movie, unless the purpose was to give a moral lesson to everyone in which case basing it off Hamlet is idiotic.
In other respects it keeps remarkably close to the original story line. We see enough of the underlying Oedipus complex between Haider and his mother. Several times he's shown to apply perfume to her neck before kissing it and towards the end she even gives him a kiss very close to the lips if not on the lips. The madness that engulfs Haider is very well done and gives a sense of shock when you first encounter it especially the fact that you don't recognize the main protagonist until his mother does. Even the play that Hamlet puts on to accuse his Uncle has been remade excellently into a song-and- dance. The grave diggers are there. Haider digs up a skull. All of it recognizable to avid Shakespearean fans. One disappointing thing is the portrayal of Rosencrantz and Gildenstern as Salman and Salman who seem to basically be there for comic relief right until their very brutal murders at the hands of Haider
The cinematography however was excellent and you really are spellbound by some of the scenes especially with the beautiful backdrop of Kashmir.
All in all, I'd say say this movie is worth the watch even if it does get a little tedious at first. Shakespeare fans out there might cringe at the deviation at the end but otherwise its a rather solid movie
(SPOILER ALERT) The thing about the story is that in the original play there is a sense of finality to the proceedings in the end though in a rather chaotic way (Claudius, Laertes and Hamlet are all killed by the same god-damned poisoned sword) At the end of the day, the protagonist and all the people he loves dies. Thats what makes it a tragedy. But more importantly it finishes the story. Hamlet NEEDS to kill Claudius in order to complete it. Leaving him alive would undermine the premise of the play itself (which is revenge) . Haider decides to add a sense of morality to the proceedings.
There is an inherent theme in the movie about revenge. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. That sort of thing. To spread a message of how revenge is unnecessary and harmful to everyone, the writers decide to leave out the crucial part where Haider kills his uncle. Sure he leaves him badly injured with both his legs blown off and begging for death. But the point is he MAY have survived it, which defeats the entire purpose of the movie, unless the purpose was to give a moral lesson to everyone in which case basing it off Hamlet is idiotic.
In other respects it keeps remarkably close to the original story line. We see enough of the underlying Oedipus complex between Haider and his mother. Several times he's shown to apply perfume to her neck before kissing it and towards the end she even gives him a kiss very close to the lips if not on the lips. The madness that engulfs Haider is very well done and gives a sense of shock when you first encounter it especially the fact that you don't recognize the main protagonist until his mother does. Even the play that Hamlet puts on to accuse his Uncle has been remade excellently into a song-and- dance. The grave diggers are there. Haider digs up a skull. All of it recognizable to avid Shakespearean fans. One disappointing thing is the portrayal of Rosencrantz and Gildenstern as Salman and Salman who seem to basically be there for comic relief right until their very brutal murders at the hands of Haider
The cinematography however was excellent and you really are spellbound by some of the scenes especially with the beautiful backdrop of Kashmir.
All in all, I'd say say this movie is worth the watch even if it does get a little tedious at first. Shakespeare fans out there might cringe at the deviation at the end but otherwise its a rather solid movie