The Hamletian dilemma finds a Gandhian answer. Interestingly Haider is not
just about Hamlet but also the political strife of the firdous baroye
zameen ast. The heady cocktail of the two is a must see and surely the
connoisseurs of good cinema have a 160 minutes treat from Vishal Bharadwaj who
obviously signs off the Shakespearean trilogy in style and with flourish.
The eponymous hero is in full cry and the admix of the politics of a state
ruined by excessive and unaccountable policing with the tale of hate revenge
and intrigue styled by the Bard makes for wonderful viewing. If there be a view
that is to be critical than it must be that in the final few reels the
craftsman bids adieu to the Bard at the cost of Bollywood and drags you through
the mandatory scenes of shoot blood and violence to cater to the expectations
of the audience at Bollywood.
Haider (Shahid Kapoor) returns from Aligarh to Kashmir when his Dad a doctor
Dr. Hilal Meer (Narendra Jha- in a wonderful cameo) goes missing leaving behind
his son, his half widow Ghazala (Tabu) and his brother Khurram (Kay
Kay Menon). Haider comes home defying the security obstacles that have a vice
like hold on the valley only to witness the blooming romance between his Mom
and his uncle. His love life is disturbed when Arshia (Shraddha Kapoor) has her
brother and father opposing the relationship. The tale has the politics of
Kashmir (in the 1990s) running parallel with the near incestuous love tale of
the half widow with her brother in law and the frustrations of the son who
cannot come to terms with the role of Mom in the disappearance of her father.
He comes to know that she has a proactive role in the arrest of his father.
Haider meets up with Roohdaar (Irfan Khan) a colleague of Dr. Hilal at jail.
Roohdaar carries the message of revenge and stays back to see it being
executed. Death rules the valley and the Valley of peace and prosperity is now
that of distrust, vendetta and intrigue.
Our cinema is so full of tales of revenge so no big novelty. This Hameltian
take is not so much about just revenge as it is about palace intrigue and the
return to the master dramatist who can never be timed for the central idea. The
central issue is one level about: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to
suffer,The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take arms against a
sea of troubles, And by opposing end them.
At another level it is (from the same piece of solliloquoy)
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of dispriz’d love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th’ unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
But above all the film is a salute to the craftsmanship of Vishal Bharadwaj
and his return to Shakespearean drama after mishaps like Matru and the profane
Omkara. He returns to haunt like Gulzar did with Maachis. He even resorts to
saluting Subhash Ghai when he decides to spill the tale of avenge with a Ek
Haseena thi like number in Bismil (Sukhwinder Singh) and in a holds-no-bar
narration brings to light a bitter Kashmir: din mein pere, raat mein sehre; it
is not freedom from India but slavery to the neighbour; sab teek ho jayega –
lagta to nahi!! are parts of some wonderful writing by Basheet Peer alongside
the film maker. The film is amazingly shot (Pankaj Kumar) and the music (the
magic of Vishal Gulzar combo) is haunting and the tale engrossing. It is as
much Hamlet as it is Peer’s Curfewed Night.
Above all Haider is about performances and an eerie feel of a state gone wrong.
Kay Kay and Irfan are great actors and do just what is expected of them and
make no effort to swallow the script or steal space. Then there is a surprise
performance from Narendra Jha and a fine deglamourized Sharadha Kapoor. In the
central character as Haider Shahid does not take a single wrong stem till the
script asks him to play less of Haider and more of the Hindi filmi hero. Even
this translation he does with grace and aplomb. In the final analysis the film
surely and truly belongs to Tabu. She is haunting in a manner that is one
without compare. She haunts, and gives the film that eerie touch that a Dimple
gave Lekin and this takes the film to a higher level. This is a Kashmir unseen:
far away from Junglee, Kashmir ki Kali and also Roja, Mission Kashmir, Lakshya
or Shauriya.
Miss the film to your own peril. Salaam Haider. A great cinematic
experience.
Rating: 4 star
+ : the cast, crew and treatment
– : the finale gets filmy.
L. Ravichander.