HAIDER, BEYOND RATINGS: THE STYLE AND SUBSTANCE OF VISHAL BHARDWAJ

HAIDER

BEYOND RATINGS: THE STYLE AND SUBSTANCE OF

VISHAL BHARDWAJ

****WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD****

During the opening moments of the movie, Tabu’s husband mockingly touches his angry and scared wife’s face and jokes “Uff.. Aag lag jaayegi Ghar mein”. Minutes later, we see the same home being blown off and burnt to the ground.

It is one of the most masterful opening sequences in the history of Indian cinema as it perfectly juxtaposes the story of a household with that of the Kashmir conflict.

Ghazala(representing Kashmir herself) in an uneasy marriage with Hilal (India) turns to a close but untrustworthy Khurram (Pakistan) who as usual double crosses and causes unwarranted destruction of the household. In this entire fracas, it is Haider (representing the people of Kashmir) who ultimately suffers the most.

The scene where he comes back to his now-in-shambles home (the current state of affairs in Kashmir) and reminisces his growing-up years in a happy & peaceful family (the heydays when Kashmir was considered Heaven on Earth) is remarkable and sad at the same time. I mean, is there any other heaven than a happy home for the members of a family, anywhere in the world.

I confess that since the time I had seen Maqbool (Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of another Shakespeare classic “Macbeth”), I was expecting to see his take on the Bard’s greatest tragedy “Hamlet”. The wait was 11 years long but it was worth every microsecond of it.

Haider is one of the most Intelligent, bold and stylish movies I have ever seen on the Silver Screen.

Each scene has some hidden meaning; each dialogue has layers to it.

The way he has set the tale of a troubled son struggling on the brink of insanity searching for his father in the valleys of Kashmir is visually stunning and the work of a master director-writer.

The way Bhardwaj has portrayed complex relationships in even more complex situations is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Be it the linguistic quarrels of a couple in a kiddish accent or the extreme disagreements between a mother and son or the silent and sinister manipulation of a daughter by her own father, he portrays it in a flawless fashion and with the perfect words to boot.

The expertise with which he has adapted Hamlet in a whole new setting and made it his own has to be seen to be believed.

The most awesome example of this is the character of Roohdar (Irffan Khan in supreme form in a small role) who comes to Haider with a message from his father, subtly and expertly used to represent the ghost (Rooh in Hindi) of Hamlet’s father in the original version. The background  theme whenever he appears on screen is what makes Vishal Bhardwaj a rockstar and stays with you well after the movie.

Every actor has done justice to their roles and Shahid Kapoor is bound to get accolades for his performance.

But for me, Tabu has delivered the best performance in the movie and arguably one of the best of her career. She has portrayed the most underrated and one dimensional character of Gertrude from the original, and raised it to an altogether different stratospheric level. She moves through the frames of the screen like poetry in motion simultaneously justifying and challenging the iconic quote from the play- “Frailty, thy name is Woman”. The different stages of the mother-son relationship – care, anger, emotional blackmail, love, possessiveness have all been emoted by her with stunning grace. Nobody but she could have depicted the subtle Oedipal undertones with such convincing grace and panache.

Kay Kay Menon delivers yet another standout performance(His Kashmiri accent is impeccable). Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Ashish Vidyarthi are heartening to see in their cameo roles.

Many people have been criticizing Bhardwaj for what appears to be an Anti-India stance on the surface but let me ask you one thing. Whenever two countries are at war, who else bears the brunt of maximum damage but thousands of innocent people? (Jab do Haathi ladte hain, toh ghaas hi kuchli jaati hai.) No war is fought in a fair manner, in fact there is no way to fight a war in a fair manner, inspite of whatever the powers that be would like to make us believe.

There are moral lines crossed and excesses done routinely in all wars and human rights are blatantly abused. So, why is Vishal Bhardwaj wrong in showing that side of the story? There is a big difference in being anti-national and anti-human.

The thousands of missing people and the condition of their kith and kin, the agony of the so-called Half widows, mothers searching for their sons, Kashmiris questioning their right to existence (Hum Hain ki Hum Nahin)- To BE OR NOT TO BE, the most basic existential question.. I think it has never been portrayed in such an in-your-face yet sensitive manner by anybody else. There is a scene where Haider shows the photo of his missing father to a woman with a photo of her missing son – I think it is the most humane yet sad moment in the movie.

To be honest, Bhardwaj and Kashmiri journalist Basharat Peer don’t leave anybody untouched from their scythe of words, be it the politicians, the militia, the police, Pakistan, or the Indian Army.

You will observe that most of the Indian Army Officers(supposedly shown in a negative light) have South Indian surnames but it is their protection and vigilance that gives opportunities to Kashmiris like Liyaqat to go to the same parts of India(Bangalore, Hyderabad etc) for lucrative jobs.

Another fine point I picked up while watching the movie is that no matter to which side they belong, the maximum victims of collateral damage in any war are Women. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that there are only two female characters in the movie and they too die ultimately.

The ultimate message of the movie, surprisingly different from that of the original, leaves you with some hope and a lot to mull about the futility of all disputes. (Jab tak hum apne Inteqam se azad nahi ho jaate, tab tak koi azadi humein azad nahi kar sakti. Inteqam se sirf Inteqam paida hota hai)

IN CONCLUSION:

There is a scene in the movie when Haider kills the Salman Khan impersonators (endearing and entertaining in their short roles) and is walking away from the bloodsport against the backdrop of the serene Himalaya mountains. This scene resonates with the actual situation of Kashmir and reminds me of a Triveni* written by Gulzar (who has also penned the songs for the movie)

Saari Vaadi Udaas Baithi Hai

Mausam-e-Gul ne Khudkhushi Kar Li

Kisne Barood Boya Baagon Mein?

P.S.: Isn’t it a paradox that this movie was released on the birth anniversary of the person indirectly responsible for the crisis in Kashmir today?

*Triveni is a form of poetry invented by Gulzar in which each stanza consists of three lines. The first two lines are complete by themselves and have their own independent meaning but the third line completely changes the complexion of what the poet wants to convey, thus giving a completely new meaning to it.