When you go to see a Vishal Bhardwaj film you know what to expect and this film do not disappoint on that front. It is one of the better works of Vishal Bhardwaj though Maqbool (2003) remain his best and with this film he completed his trilogy of Shakespeare tragedies with a Omkara (2006)in between. With the backdrop of Kashmir insurgency, military invasion & terrorism, this adaptation is not just contemporary but has merged well with the Shakespeare's original Hamlet. Hamlet is known to be most complex work as it also has controversial overtones of Oedipus complex, a much taboo subject till today. Vishal dedicated this film to his father, Late Mr. Ram Bhardwaj, a lesser known film lyricist who never got his due and died a premature death. The problem of Kashmir though extensively but half-heatedly covered in so many films but here with the problem actually forming the backdrop and with few scenes & dialogs, it conveyed much more than all those films put together. The backdrop is violent and scary but rather than depicting excessive violence the focus is more on the impact it creates in the lives of people & thus makes a bold statement. The film is a winner on many fronts- Camera-work, Art Direction, Performances, Costumes etc, thus the craft is in full form. Yes, overall it is dark, depressing, gloomy and not meant for those looking for conventional entertaining cinema. With 2.42 Hrs, it is slightly lengthy. Overall it is a relevant cinema, a good piece of art.
Review of Haider
