Movie: Haider
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Cast: Shahid Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Kay Kay Menon, Khulbhushan Kharbhanda
Rating: ***1/2
Jammu and Kashmir is Vishal Bhardwaj’s intelligent choice of a region to mirror the domestic conflicts of the protagonists in Haider. The situation in either case is as puzzling as it can get. Just when we convince ourselves of being aware of the happenings, we realize there’s more to it. The battle between war and humanity refuses to cease in this attempt to portray the universality of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, in the hands of a maker, capable enough to fiddle within such risky yet potent territories, as he had proved in the past with Omkara and Maqbool. He equally spoon-feeds and leaves a multifarious range of thoughts to our imagination, as the curtains in front of the screens tease to roll down.
The flashback scenes in Haider unravel in different yet significant parts of the narrative, in an obvious ploy to create an aura of mystery behind the present. This being a visual adaptation of a text known for its multi-layered structure, makes for an intriguing watch for the parallels we can draw between the words and the execution. Just as we uncover the streak of madness in Shahid Kapoor’s character, masked as a psychological disorder and see him stage the entire conflict within a song to test the antagonist’s guilt, we realize that the visual platform is ideally set for the climactic sequence. The psyche of Haider, we feel is within our grips.
We quickly brace ourselves for the dark humor that Vishal Bhardwaj’s works are equipped with. This is with much gratitude to the two undercover agents of the armed force, self proclaimed loyalists of Salman Khan, who run a video parlour in the vicinity of Shahid Kapoor’s surroundings. The trademark imitation of the actor’s histrionics in their introductory sequence, invited with loud cheer by crowds, relieves us off the heaviness of a delicate start. The fact that he brings them to the fore in the most intense sequences, the last quarter being one, where they play a high voltage song of Salman in a police van, shows the confidence he places in his ways.
Besides, the use of the Hebrew-origin term ‘chutzpah’ is what Haider, as a film, may be remembered for the times to come. The star-like entry of Irrfan Khan, limping and rising from the misty frames of the mountains, is the best, the actor could’ve asked for, in a film sprinkled with dollops of shaayaris, ghazals, one-liners laced with obvious metaphorical significance.
Shahid Kapoor, milking his intense acting chops, commits to his part with sincerity and is immensely effective in his transition as a ‘bulbul’ in the second hour through the public demonstrations and well-conceived riddles. It is Tabu in her half-widow act, mingling guilt and confidence at once, who adds a lot of substance in the film’s rather silent instants. Kay Kay Menon too never over does the so-called warnings. He is real enough to be recognized.
Haider calls for humanity but the change of tones is too regular for its voice to register with an element of firmness. The picturization of the songs, especially, the re-staging of the incident through a puppet-show, besides the one where a funeral pit is being dug, brings an intriguing flavor to the atmosphere. This is vintage Vishal, even if an Omkara or a Kaminey seems some distance away.
Review by Srivathsan N. First published in Cinegoer.net