Nihar Kandimalla

18 April 2016
LMC 3252
Professor Wood

Vishal Bhardwajs Adaptations of Shakespeare

Shakespearean works are timeless classics of the literature world.

Their thematic elements are see in modern works to this day and involved a
multitude of styles and elements. Naturally, many current-day adaptations
have come about, attempting to parallel these plots and themes in a more
relatable setting and environ than that of England in the 1500s. For example,
the Disney classic The Lion King is based on Shakespeares Hamlet. Another
significant Shakespearean adaptation, or more appropriately: set of
adaptations, is Bollywood director Vishal Bhardwajs trilogy, composed of
Maqbool, Haider, and Omkara. These movies closely resemble Macbeth,
Hamlet, and Omkara, respectively. In this essay, I will highlight both the
obvious and subtle parallels and thematic elements that Bhardwaj employs in
his adaptations of Shakespeares works Haider and Maqbool.
Maqbool is based upon on one of Shakespeares most popular works other
than the omnipresent Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth. This tragedy is set in
Scotland under the rule of a King Duncan. Macbeth is one of his loyal men
who defeated the pressing armies of Norway and Ireland. Macbeth and

another one of the kings men, Banquo, encounter a trio of witches known as
the Weird Sisters. The witches prophesize that Macbeth will eventually be
crowned King of Scotland and that Banquo will also begin a line of Scottish
kings, while never serving as King himself. Neither men seem to take the
prophecy very seriously. As the play continues, deceit and contempt become
commonplace as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth obsess over this prophecy and
seek to bring it to life, even going as far to commit murder. Eventually,
Macduff confronts Macbeth, another Scottish nobleman after the realization of
another set of prophesies. After Macduff slays Macbeth, Prince Malcolm is
crowned the new King of Scotland. As it stands, it seems that such a complex
work couldnt possibly be accurately adapted to modern Indian culture. Alas,
Bhardwaj finds a realistic and effective manner of doing so. Maqbool is set in
what seems like present-day Mumbais dark and mysterious underworld.
Abbaji is a powerful gang don who has a right-hand man named, Maqbool.
Also in the play are two corrupt police officers that moonlight as astrologers.
Using their psychic abilities, the two officers predict that Maqbool shall
slowly start to gain control of the Mumbai underworld over Abbaji. Similarly to
Macbeth, this movie ends with the realization of a prophecy and the death of
Maqbool. Now, I will highlight some of the parallels that Bhardwaj employs in
the film. First, both Macbeth and Maqbool are the right-hand men to the
respective leaders in their world. Both are trusted individuals who are treated
with great respect. Additionally, Bhardwaj uses the two corrupt policemen to
play the prophetic role that the witches had in Macbeth. Both served in the

seer roles that helped to mold the actions of Macbeth and Maqbool as they
strive for power. However, one of the biggest similarities that Bhardwaj uses is
the parallel between Lady Macbeth and Nimmi. Both play deceitful women
want to convince their respective significant others to commit heinous acts to
rise to power. Both also cannot handle the guilt of their actions and are driven
mad with guilty thoughts and haunting visions. Visions include the blood that
both women imagine in their homes and on their bodies which represents the
ever-returning guilt of their involvement in the murder of King Duncan and
Abbaji. Another similarity is the meaning of the prophecies. In Macbeth, the
witches tell Macbeth that he will rule until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane.
Macbeth brushes this off as impossible since a forest could not just uproot
itself and move to his castle. Similarly, in Maqbool, the police officers
prophesize that Maqbool will be leader until the sea comes to his house. He
also sees this as an impossible. However, both lead characters were wrong
as these prophecies did come true. In Macbeth, Macduffs army cuts down
the trees of Birnam Wood and uses them as cover to advance, giving off the
impression that the forest was, in fact, moving. In Maqbool, the prophecy
holds true as the customs officer investigating Maqbools illegal activity seizes
his gangs boat for trafficking illegal goods. Then, he uses this evidence as
reason to storm Maqbools home. Figuratively, the sea came to Maqbools
house, indicative of his eventual downfall. In addition to these, one more
similarity stands out as crucial. Both Maqbool and Macbeth are haunted by

visions of their leaders that they slayed to gain power, which draws parallels
on the guilt theme that drives Macbeth as Shakespeare originally wrote.

On the other hand, Maqbool and Macbeth also contain their fair share
of differences in plot and characterization. For example, in Maqbool, the Lady
Macbeth character, Nimmi, is originally with Abbaji but is in love with Maqbool.
She plants the idea of power in Maqbools head, but ultimately gives him the
final ultimatum: kill her or kill Abbaji. Obviously, Maqbool chooses to kill
Abbaji. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is only wife to Macbeth and convinces
Macbeth that the throne is his and he should take it, even if it means to kill the
King. She does not give such an ultimatum. Furthermore, another difference
is the presence of a child in Maqbool. After Abbaji is killed, Nimmi tells
Maqbool that she is pregnant with Abbajis child. However, in reality, it could
be either Abbajis or Maqbools.
Additionally, a difference we see
in Maqbool is Maqbools greater
feeling of guilt. For example,
when Nimmis child is born in the
hospital and Maqbool goes to the
hospital to take the child before
he flees, he sees it being cared
for by Abbajis daughter and
husband. Instead of taking the

child, he chooses to leave it so that it may live a life in peace, rather than
being drawn into this blood feud. On his way out of the hospital, deep in
thought, Maqbool walks right past Guddu, a parallel to Macduff. Rather than
even fighting Guddu, Maqbool accepts his fate and is shot in the back and
killed by Guddu. This shows to highlight Maqbools more intense feelings of
guilt. He seems to accept his punishment rather than fight it any further.
Bhardwaj differs from Shakespeare in this regard. This might be due to the
effect of present-day culture or the fact that Indian culture may be more
family-driven than that of 1500s England. Another key difference between the
two is the role that the witches and the corrupt policemen play. In Macbeth,
the witches simply state their prophecy and then let the future play out. In
Maqbool, the policemen make such predictions and then actively ensuring
that things would pan out, such as
setting up alliances between rival
politicians.

Overall, both works share some

broad similarities. Both are about male
characters who are convinced by
deceitful, manipulative women into killing their leaders so that they could take
their power and role. However, both women are not as powerful and strongminded as we originally perceive as they both go insane with guilt and drive
their male characters into states of guilt and worry. Bhardwaj does a fantastic

job of mimicking these characterizations overall. He also creates a strong and

effective adaptation of a Shakespearean work, and even manages to throw
his own unique artistic differences into the adaptation.
In his next work in this trilogy, Bhardwaj creates an adaptation of
Hamlet, titled Haider. In Hamlet, a young Prince Hamlet returns home to find
that his mother has remarried his fathers brother, Claudius, after his father
was slain. Hamlet grows suspicious regarding the death of his father and
remarriage of his mother and uncle. His suspicions are confirmed when he is
visited by the ghost of his father who claims that he was killed by Claudius
and demands to be avenged. To test the whether the ghost is sincere and
truthful, Hamlet writes and acts in a play that enacts the circumstances
regarding his fathers death. As suspected, Claudius gets visibly disturbed at
these scenes, which confirms his role in Hamlets fathers death. Later, while
speaking to his mother, Hamlet kills Polonious, a man loyal to Claudius, who
had been eavesdropping on Hamlet and his mother, Gertrude. Upon finding
out, Claudius has Hamlet exiled to England and calls for his execution there.
Furthermore, Ophelia, Hamlets lover and daughter of Polonious, commits
suicide, as she is distraught that her lover is responsible for her fathers
death. Laertes, the brother of Ophelia, vows to avenge his sister and father.
Laertes conspires with Claudius to kill Hamlet. Laertes and Hamlet duel,
which eventually results in Laertes death and Hamlet cut by a poisoned
blade. Seeing that her son is only injured and not dead, Gertrude accidentally
drinks from a poisoned cup intended for Hamlet. She dies which causes

Hamlet to angrily kill Claudius before dying. Hamlet is clearly a complex work
with deep and dark themes of familial treachery, deceit, and murder. Bhardwaj
attempts to imitate and also develop that with not only character parallels to
create similarities but also plot differences to create contrasts that make
Haider a unique adaptation. Set in Kashmir, Haider follows a similar plotline
to Hamlet, not without a few crucial differences, of course. Haider returns
home to Kashmir from his studies to find out more information about his
fathers suspicious disappearance following a controversial surgery on a
separatist leader. When he returns home, he finds his mother Ghazala singing
and laughing with his fathers brother, Khurram. Haider cannot understand his
mothers behavior. He begins to look for answers with his childhood
sweetheart, Arshi. Arshi and Haider encounter a man named Roodhar who
claims to have been imprisoned and tortured with Haiders father. Roodhar
tells Haider that his father told him that Khurram was responsible for his
disappearance and that he wished to be avenged. Eventually, Arshis brother
and Khurram confront Haider. The confrontation wraps up the film with Haider
killing the brother but sparing Khurram after heeding his mothers advice.
Even through these short plot synopses, it is evident that Bhardwaj employed
many direct parallels to Hamlet, which I will now discuss.
To begin, both works start with the return of the Hamlet characters to
their homes to find mysterious and suspicious circumstances regarding their
fathers. Additionally, following their fathers deaths/disappearances, both of
their mothers go on to marry their uncles, which is an important part of the

family theme present in the original work. It conveys a higher sense of

betrayal and wrongness for the mother to marry her deceased husbands
brother. Another similarity is the presence of the song Bismil, which imitates
Hamlets self-written play The Mouse Trap. Both of these works within the
works serve to help the Hamlet characters determine if their uncles really had
any involvement in the suspicious disappearances of their fathers. Finally, one
key similarity is the Arshi/Ophelia role. Haider and Arshi are in love with each
other just like Ophelia and Hamlet were. Similarly, Haider accidentally kills
Pervaze, Arshis father, just as Hamlet accidentally killed Polonious. Following
the death of her father at the hands of her lover, Arshi goes mad with distress
and distraught and commits suicide, as did Ophelia. In my opinion, Bhardwaj
chose to replicate these similarities in order to maintain the Shakespearean
tragedy. The death of Ophelia and Arshi represent the Hamlet characters
struggles to maintain order in their respective lives. They are constantly
thrown into turmoil and really have no concrete relationship, which they may
rely on such as the treacherous Salmans or Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Bhardwaj needed to include these similarities so that viewers would be able to
empathize with Haiders struggles to find the truth in his life.
Contrastingly, Bhardwaj also employs a few differences in his
adaptation that certainly create a different interpretation of the play. For
instance, the movie is set in Kashmir in 1995, which is undergoing political
strife at the time. This causes a difference in what we interpret as the value
and morals system of the characters as they live in an area that has run amok

with violence and chaos. Along those lines, unlike in the play, the people of
Kashmir play a stronger role in the film, such as the separatist leader who
underwent surgery from Haiders father. Again, this helps to create a more
intense work as the viewers see more people involved in this intricate and
treacherous plot. Another difference is the presence of Roodhar versus the
Ghost present in Hamlet. Rather than employ a supernatural character like
the Ghost, Bhardwaj chooses to use Roodhar, one of Haiders fathers prison
mates, as a parallel. Roodhar is the one who informs Haider of Khurrams role
in his fathers disappearance and also suggests that Haider be trained in
Pakistan so that he may avenge his father. It is possible that Bhardwaj
employed this difference for a few different reasons, including cultural ones.
Some critics claim that by removing the supernatural role in his adaptation,
Bhardwaj made the film more credible with the Indian viewers. Ghosts and
spirits have little place in Indian culture and therefore make it harder for such
spirits to play an important role. Furthermore, Bhardwaj may have used
Roodhar rather than a ghost so as not to damage the portrayal of Haider.
Bollywood cinema and cinema viewers take their hero characters very
seriously, as they expect them to single-handedly and unquestioningly defeat
their challengers. If Haider were to have visions of a ghost, many of the
viewers would lose faith in their hero as he can be interpreted as someone
who has gone mad, or weak mentally. Finally, one of the most apparent plot
and thematic differences comes in the final scenes of the film. After Haider
kills Arshis brother and is confronted by Khurram and his men, his mother

steps in, in an attempt to convince Haider to surrender before he is killed. She

asks Haider to not avenge his father, as she believes that revenge only brings
about more revenge and is a vicious cycle of pain and misery. Haider fails to
understand and his mother steps away and kills herself before either Khurram
or Haider can save her. Now with only Haider and Khurram left, Haider has
the opportunity to finally avenge his father and kill Khurram. However, just
when he is about kill Khurram, Haider remembers his mothers last words
regarding revenge. He chooses not to kill Khurram, who is begging for death
as he reveals his guilt. Obviously, here, Bhardwaj used a multitude of
differences for what is one of the most complex and intricate scenes in the
film. To begin, the scene takes place after Haider voluntarily agrees to leave
for training in Pakistan. In the play, Claudius orders Hamlet to exile in
England. Next, his mother comes to the graveyard with the help of Roodhar,
in an effort to get Haider and Khurram to stop fighting. She pleads with
Hamlet to stop but eventually kills herself when she fails to succeed at
convincing him to stop. This shocking act, which is very different from
Gertrudes death in the play, serves to foreshadow the importance that
Bhardwaj places in the feelings of guilt within in the characters. His mother
feels guilty about her role in Haiders fathers disappearance and her actions
following it. In the original play, Hamlets mother unknowingly drinks from a
poisoned cup intended for Hamlet and then dies. In Haider, she intentionally
kills herself. Before she dies, she bestows important advice on Haider about
the cyclical nature of revenge. This is her attempt to save Haider from getting

caught in a cycle that would most likely end with his death. At the time, it
seems Haider did not heed this advice but we later observe that the thought
took hold in his mind. Given the chance to easily kill a gravely injured
Khurram, Haider chooses not to. Khurram is begging for death and Haider
refuses to oblige. Khurram begging for death goes serves to highlight the guilt
that we saw foreshadowed by Haiders mother earlier. Khurram feels guilt for
murdering Haiders father just as Haiders mother had felt guilt for her
questionable behavior following the disappearance of her husband. Bhardwaj
employs a more visible and concrete theme of guilt and revenge through
Ghazalas death and Khurrams begging.

In
conclusion,
it is obvious
that
Bhardwaj
uses a
multitude of
direct
parallels to
Shakespeares works, which lends credibility to his adaptations and makes it
easier for viewers to understand his goals as a director and creator. However,
at the same time, he manages to add his own unique differences, which serve
to build even more credibility for him as a director. Rather than creating a oneto-one remake of the works, his personal changes reflected Bollywood
cinema culture and even Indian culture at large. In my opinion, he also seems
to accentuate themes that Shakespeare had made a bit more subtle, which is
important for modern film as general viewership isnt as knowledgeable as
literary and film critics. Without a doubt, Bhardwaj is an effective director,
which is supported by his critical acclaim that has managed to create a
meaningful set of Shakespearean adaptations in the modern world.