With every Shakespearean adaptation in Hindi cinema, noted Bollywood filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj is being applauded for his keen sense of reincarnating the classic Shakespearean characters in Indian settings. Maqbool (2003) and Omkara (2006) are the first two films of his trilogy which gets its third instalment on October 2nd this year with the release of Haider, based on the play Hamlet. Talking about his upcoming venture in an exclusive interview to Asian Voice, Vishal told that he has dedicated Haider to his father, to who he was supremely close.
Shahid Kapoor, who essays the title role (that of Prince Hamlet) said, “It was not easy for me to detach myself from the character. Even my family noticed the change in me. But I am keen on doing such films more frequently, maybe even once every year”.
Shraddha Kapoor, although being just five films old in the industry, is already a well established name and sings her second song for Haider, titled ‘Roshe Valle’. Speaking about casting her in the film, Vishal said, “For this film, I was looking for a young actress. I needed someone who looked like a Kasmiri. Shraddha fit in that very well and as for the rest, the script guides the actor where to go”.
The film stars Tabu and Kay Kay Menon in crucial roles of Queen Gertrude and King Claudius, respectively. All of the characters in the film seem to have an intense, eccentric and dark side. Since the film's storyline has been adapted and rewritten by Vishal in his ever unique style, the characters can be expected to be symbolic of more than one person in the original play Hamlet. He elaborates, “I have not spoken about this before but in Haider, I have combined the characters of both Ophelia and Oratio into the role of Arshiya (played by Shraddha)”. She plays a Kashmiri journalist.
Also making waves is one of Haider's sound track, Bismil. The song is shot at the Sun Temple in Kashmir. The cinematography and choreography of the song has used 100 feet tall puppets which has fascinated the audience since the launch of the song's video. Shahid touts the song as one of the best shot songs of his career. In his interview to Asian Voice, he said, “Elements like face-paint to depict war situations, have been used in Bismil. It was crucial that Haider did not dance like Shahid. The choreography of the song involved more than just dance steps and that is why it was important that my usual style of dance did not reflect in it”.
Then there were 100 feet tall puppets in Bismil, which have never been seen in any song before. Vishal was the creative mind behind using them. He adds, “We created the 100 feet tall puppets specially for the film. Bhaand is a performer tribe in Kashmir. They use colourful animal masks and puppets, as shown in the film. In Kashmir, there is a 300 year old tradition of Bhaand performances. I took the idea from there, enlarged it and adapted it for Bismil.
The backdrop of Kashmir is very pertinent. It embodies the darkness of the plot by symbolising both beauty and tragedy at the same time. But Vishal had different plans earlier- “I wanted to create an espionage thriller and had a different location in mind. It was Gulzar saab (who has also written the lyrics for the songs in the film) who suggested Kashmir”. Amidst controversies because of the location, Haider has managed drawing trailers and its release is much awaited on October 2nd.
