Vishal Bharadwaj’s Shakespeare Trilogy

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. His plays are well known throughout the world. One of the reasons his plays are relevant even today is because they deal with universal feelings such as ambition, jealousy, and revenge. The works of Shakespeare have been adapted across many cultures around the world. When it comes to Indian cinema, his lasting influence can be seen on the screen through the eyes of Vishal Bharadwaj. His films, Maqbool, Omkara, and Haider, are adaptations of Macbeth, Othello, and Hamlet, respectively. Here I shall examine how these plays are successfully adapted into films. This is a blog task assigned by Barad Sir.

Settings 

One of the first things that Vishal Bharadwaj does is transport the settings of the original work to India. Macbeth is transported to Mumbai’s underworld, Othello takes place in Uttar Pradesh, and Hamlet is set in Kashmir. Aside from changing the settings, he also roots them in regional socio-political conflicts. His movies also incorporates music inspired by local traditions. 

Bharadwaj skilfully changes little details and adds Indian elements to them. This is seen in Omkara, where instead of a handkerchief, a bejewelled Kamarbandh belonging to Dolly (a character similar to Desdemona) is used to prove her infidelity.  

His attention to detail never lets the audience question the authenticity. He does not copy a classic but rather enhances it. 

Characters 

Bharadwaj then creates Indian counterparts of Shakespearean characters. King Duncan of Scotland becomes the underworld Don Abbaji, while Lady Macbeth becomes Nimmi, who is Abbaji’s mistress but loves Maqbool (counterpart of Macbeth).  

Similarly, Othello, Iago, and Cassio become Omkara, Langda Tyagi, and Kesu. The struggling Prince of Denmark is transformed into a common student, Haider Meer. While Ophelia and Horatio’s characters are combined to make Arshia. 

Characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who were childhood friends of Hamlet and instructed by Claudius to distract Hamlet from uncovering the truth, are adapted in the form of Salman 1 and 2, quirky characters that provide comic relief. 

While adapting plays, it is very important that the resulting characters are believable. Individuals that we would imagine in those particular settings. Bharadwaj manages this with remarkable skill. His characters are renamed and recreated to sketch realistic Indian people, yet they are identical to the source material. 

Supernatural Elements 

Another thing worth noting is how supernatural elements from the original play are converted into relatable elements of Indian society. Instead of his father’s ghost, Haider encounters the mysterious Roohdaar, who tells him about his father’s murder and awakens the desire for revenge within him. A ghost is a mystical entity, while an escaped cellmate is much more believable. 

Maqbool’s fate is not prophesied by three witches in the woods amidst mist, but over drinks by two corrupt police officers. They sense Maqbool’s ambition and predict that he will take over the reins of Mumbai underworld, through patterns made of tomato ketchup and chutney. Future-predicting witches are rare, but a so-called astrologer predicting Raajyog is quite common. 

In this manner the supernatural elements are transformed to make the movies more grounded in reality. 

Universal Emotions 

At their core, these three tragedies are commentaries on humans. Their main focus is the transformation of the protagonist due to the series of events that take place around him. This very essence of the stories is captured by Bharadwaj in his movies. Macbeth and Maqbool both suffer the results of their ambition. Othello and Omkara are in agony due to the jealousy and schemings of Iago and Langada Tyagi. Hamlet and Haider are plagued with the sadness of their father’s death and are trying to cope with the idea of revenge. All these characters are displaying very human emotions that are felt by people everywhere. Although these characters are distanced, not only by locations but also by time periods, their emotions connect them. 

In conclusion, Vishal Bharadwaj captures the soul of Shakespearean tragedies and transports them into Indian bodies. His Shakespearean trilogy is truly unmatched. They are some of the best Shakespearean adaptations in Indian cinema. 

For further information, you can check out detailed analysis of the films:- 

Maqbool 

Omkara 

Haider 

Also check out this Analysis Video:- 

References:- 

Bharadwaj, V. (Director). (2003). Maqbool [Film]. India: Kaleidoscope Entertainment. 

Bharadwaj, V. (Director). (2006). Omkara [Film]. India: Shemaroo Entertainment. 

Bharadwaj, V. (Director). (2014). Haider [Film]. India: UTV Motion Pictures. 

Shakespeare, W. (1632/2008). Macbeth. In D. Bevington (Ed.), The Complete Works of Shakespeare (7th ed., pp. 131-159). Boston, MA: Pearson. 

Shakespeare, W. (1622/2008). Othello. In D. Bevington (Ed.), The Complete Works of Shakespeare (7th ed., pp. 1067–1101). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Shakespeare, W. (1603/2008). Hamlet. In D. Bevington (Ed.), The Complete Works of Shakespeare (7th ed., pp. 1129–1184). Boston, MA: Pearson.