Most Bollywood movie-buffs are familiar with the phenomenon that is Vishal Bhardwaj, and furthermore his love for Shakespearean plays, which reflects in many of his films. It has always been a unique playground for the director: not playing along the conventional and mixing classic literature with a Hindustani flavour and scenario. The resultant cocktails, that are his movies, have had most of the audiences ordering for more. There is always a special significance behind his movies, in terms of the dark, often sordid depiction of stories set in realistic environments, keeping it balanced enough to be enjoyed by the masses, and yet remain a work of art. His production house, VB picture has come out with many cinematic gems such as Maqbool, Omkara, and 7 Khoon Maaf. In this piece, we shall be discussing his recent presentation, Haider.
Inception
Shahid Kapoor and Bhardwaj
have previously worked together on Kaminey. Initially, Kapoor was to be signed
for a sequel to the same, but the idea was scrapped, and work was started on a
film to be adapted from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. An Indian angle to the story was to be developed, for which
Bhardwaj picked the political unrest in Kashmir, set in the mid-nineties as the
backdrop.
In all of Indian cinematic history, Kashmir had only appeared superficially, as an area of conflict, or as a set for romantic songs. Through the film, Bhardwaj intended to scrounge the underbelly of political Kashmir and present the story through the eyes of a young student, searching for his lost father. Shahid Kapoor played the eponymous lead (Hamlet), with Tabu playing his mother, Ghazala Meer (Gertrude), and Kay Kay Menon playing the uncle, Khurram Meer (Claudius). The point was to present to the viewers the 68-year old struggle of the Kashmiri people, by piggy-backing it on Haider’s personal struggle and strife. A major part of the research was derived from Basharat Peer’s memoir, Curfewed Night, a book based on violence-wreaked Kashmir.
Vishal Bhardwaj
In all of Indian cinematic history, Kashmir had only appeared superficially, as an area of conflict, or as a set for romantic songs. Through the film, Bhardwaj intended to scrounge the underbelly of political Kashmir and present the story through the eyes of a young student, searching for his lost father. Shahid Kapoor played the eponymous lead (Hamlet), with Tabu playing his mother, Ghazala Meer (Gertrude), and Kay Kay Menon playing the uncle, Khurram Meer (Claudius). The point was to present to the viewers the 68-year old struggle of the Kashmiri people, by piggy-backing it on Haider’s personal struggle and strife. A major part of the research was derived from Basharat Peer’s memoir, Curfewed Night, a book based on violence-wreaked Kashmir.
Characterization
I continue by stating that
the film is an absolute masterpiece of Bhardwaj, and decorated with impeccable
performances by a very neatly assembled cast, might well be his finest till
date. Character development is the crown jewel in this presentation.
Haider, a student of philosophy, returns home to find that his father is missing, and his mother, instead of being in mourning, is enjoying in the company of his uncle, whom she is soon to marry. We witness a slow metamorphosis, of an innocent boy, into a revolutionary, into a madman hell-bent on revenge on his uncle. In Haider, we see the nimbleness and malleability of human nature, the element of dilemma and confusion, which leads him to an abyss of lies, death and loss. In the greater scheme, Haider signifies the fire building up in the populace of Kashmir, who have somehow survived the Indo-Pak conflict regarding the state for the past several decades, and still face persecution at the hands of the military, which is the only structure of law in the zone. He stands for young minds still trying to figure out which side of the conflict to stay on and fight for, and which country to call their own.
Shahid Kapoor as Haider Meer
A very important, yet perplexing aspect of Haider’s characterisation is the element of “Chutzpah”, which essentially seems to be a play on the popular Hindi cuss word ,very neatly modified to avoid any skirmishes with the Censor Board, but which Haider describes as an action of sheer courage and audacity, that when done, seems shocking to all others. In his story, chutzpah is reflected in the ever-raging conflict between India and Pakistan, which is ultimately keeping the Kashmiris embroiled in perpetual violence and disharmony. At the same time, another instance of chutzpah is his uncle Khurram, who arranges Haider’s father’s capture, to be able to marry Ghazala, and subsequently, in the guise of searching for “disappear-ed” people like his brother, enter into election and gain a seat of power. However it should be noted, that the purpose of the idea of chutzpah was lost in the story and it seems that the director actually intended the wordplay to be construed the way it is.
Tabu’s work in the role of
Ghazala Meer is also commendable. Looking her ever-beautiful self, her
portrayal of a woman, torn between her love and protective feelings towards her
passionate son, her grief over Dr. Meer’s disappearance, her love for the
brother-in-law who is probably the reason behind it,
and her helplessness towards controlling a familial situation tumbling further
out of her control, is deep, profound, convincing and garners the audience’s
sympathy towards the character.
Her character is a pivotal part of the story, but it is not quite the same as Shakespeare’s depiction of Gertrude, who is a shallow being, who’s only care in life is her body and external pleasures. Granted, the incestuous sparks between Ghazala and Haider are still maintained in the film, though toned down for the Indian audiences but Ghazala isn’t a shallow being. Though like Gertrude, she longs for marital delight in her life, which she couldn’t receive from Dr. Meer, but she is still a person whose life is in tumbles because of the passionate love for her son, a friendship with Khurram which she wouldn’t exactly define as love, but probably something more fulfilling than her previous marriage, and the loss of control over these very problems in her life. Haider’s love for her is equally passionate, probably exceeded only by his hatred for his uncle, Khurram, and the belief that she abandoned her husband for Khurram’s company, in turn leading him into a perpetual dilemma, where he cannot decide, whether to love her, to believe in her, or to hate her.
Tabu as Ghazala Meer
Her character is a pivotal part of the story, but it is not quite the same as Shakespeare’s depiction of Gertrude, who is a shallow being, who’s only care in life is her body and external pleasures. Granted, the incestuous sparks between Ghazala and Haider are still maintained in the film, though toned down for the Indian audiences but Ghazala isn’t a shallow being. Though like Gertrude, she longs for marital delight in her life, which she couldn’t receive from Dr. Meer, but she is still a person whose life is in tumbles because of the passionate love for her son, a friendship with Khurram which she wouldn’t exactly define as love, but probably something more fulfilling than her previous marriage, and the loss of control over these very problems in her life. Haider’s love for her is equally passionate, probably exceeded only by his hatred for his uncle, Khurram, and the belief that she abandoned her husband for Khurram’s company, in turn leading him into a perpetual dilemma, where he cannot decide, whether to love her, to believe in her, or to hate her.
Irrfan Khan has a smaller,
yet memorable role of Roohdaar, the counterpart for King Hamlet’s ghost.
Roohdaar is a pro-separatist leader, who had been imprisoned along with Dr.
Hilal Meer. He becomes the turning point in Haider’s story, by revealing unto
him the news of Dr. Meer’s death, and the cruel betrayal of Khurram. The
significance of this character is the depiction of the way young, flowering
minds are pulled into a militant cause and the strong brainwashing existent
among such militant groups.
Another important character
in this story is not someone, but something. It’s the river Jhelum, whose
significance for the Kashmiri people is described through the multiple mentions
through song lyrics, as well as a separate song by the very same name.
Execution
One must acknowledge the
incredible eye for detail that Vishal Bhardwaj has, which is in league with
directors such as Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee. Be it the sets, the
costumes or the conditioning of the cast to the Kashmiri vernacular. For
instance, Dolly Ahluwalia, the costume in-charge, paid attention to such detail
like the change in Ghazala’s company, from her dead husband to the well-off
Khurram, depicted through the usage of richer colours and fabrics. Haider’s
bright caps with pom-poms are depictive of the shift from innocence and angst,
to madness and the driving force of revenge. The climax scene has all the
characters wearing combinations of black and red, which with the white, snowy
background, signify the bloody nature of the final battle, and the devastating
end-results of going against the idea of “Revenge only begets revenge”
resonated by Kulbhushan Kharbanda’s character.
The Kashmiri-ness of the
actors was something worth commenting upon. Even somewhat inexperienced players
such as Shraddha Kapoor, who played the role of Arshia (Ophelia), didn’t
completely fall short in front of the bigger and much more talented names. The
kashmiri touch can be observed in the stretched pronunciation of the “ed” suffix in
the past tense of common verbs, such as ‘love-ed’, ‘hugg-ed’, etc. The culture, music and art
of Kashmir are captured wonderfully in the song “Bismil” a power-packed number,
born from the pen of Gulzar.
Bhardwaj has a tendency of
touching raw nerves, and what better way to do so than to present the truth -
bare, absolute, and unbiased. Here, we see it in the controversial depiction of
the Indian Armed Forces in the Kashmir conflict. The very beginning of the
film, Dr. Hilal Meer i.e. Haider’s father, is arrested by the Military, for
providing medical aid to a pro-separatist leader. He subsequently disappears,
like many men have over the years in the State. There are frequent mentions
about the Army using torture methods as an alternative to passive
interrogation. This directly sheds light on the illicit practices of the Army
in the conflict, even though they’re working towards national interests. There
are even further instances where high-ranking officers utilize their assumed power
to obtain personal ends but this is not a biased depiction meant to sway one’s
emotions and reasoning in favour of the Military or the militant groups. This
is the raw, unfettered truth. The director, staying true to his art, has pulled
the masks off all faces, be it the forces trying to protect the national
integrity, or the ones trying to destroy it. Criticisms are also laid upon
AFSPA i.e. the Armed Forces (Special Powers Act) 1958, and other such
legalities that violated natural law and stripped the people of many of their
fundamental rights, which can be seen in a scene where one of the Salmans notes
the similarity between the words chutzpah
and AFSPA, while actually hinting
to the Kashmiri life in the midst of the bi-national conflict.
Nonetheless, the film did
receive the respect it deserves from the international theatrical community,
being screened at the 19th Busan International Film Festival. Though
it did not find the same mass appeal in India as a regular masala film, the
populace recognized and appreciated the film as something different from their
regular tastes and expectations. The work of the entire cast was appreciated
and celebrated, with Shahid, Kay Kay Menon and Tabu winning the Filmfare Awards
in the categories of Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting
Actress, respectively. The film even bagged 5 National Film awards.
To conclude, Haider is probably, as I stated earlier, Vishal
Bhardwaj’s best cinematic feature to date, and decidedly THE best cinematic
phenomenon of 2014. Some complained for the film to be dragging in parts, to
which I answer that I still cannot figure out which part of the film should be
cropped out. I agree, sitting for a movie, 3 hrs at a spot, can be rather
tedious for some, but when it’s a delight such as this, it doesn’t even matter.
Like a 12-band orchestra, Haider hits the right notes at the right times, with
Gulzar’s poetic genius, Basharat Peer’s stage, and Bhardwaj conducting the
concerto, in his most bold, unabashed, and melodious manner.
