William Shakespeare was the epitome of perfection in terms of literature. He was a defining personality of the great Victorian era.
His plays are still celebrated in this modern age.
Indian director Vishal Bhardwaj also attempted to give homage to Shakespeare through the Indian adaptation of his famous plays.
Shakespeare Trilogy ‘Omkara’
‘Omkar’ was released on July 28, 2006. It was adapted from the famous play ‘Othello.’
The movie, much like the play, ends with the brutal murder of Othello’s wife by himself as he accuses her of infidelity.
Ajay Devgan plays Omkara (Othello) in the movie. Kareena Kapoor plays his wife, Dolly (Desdemona), and the villain Lago is portrayed brilliantly by Saif Ali Khan as Langda Tyagi.
‘Maqbool’
‘Maqbool’ was released in 2004 and is an adaptation of the tragedy Macbeth.
The movie stars talented actors such as Irfan Khan, who plays Maqbool (Macbeth). Tabu as Nimmi (Ms. Macbeth) and Pankaj Kapoor as Jahangir Khan (Duncan of Scotland).
The two policemen are shown as three witches prophesying that Maqbool will be the king of the underworld. Maqbool murders Jahangir Khan to become unrivaled and for the sake of his lover, Nimmi, who is the mistress of Jahangir.
‘Haider’
The movie stars Shahid Kapoor as Haider (Hamlet), Tabu as his mother Gertrude, Kay Kay Menon plays Claudius and Shraddha Kapoor as Ophelia.
The story follows the same plot of Haider haunted by his dead father. Haider accuses his mother and her lover of being behind the murder. His vengeance turns into madness, leaving chaos and tragedy.
Conclusion
Adapting these famous plays is a risky task to take in hand, but Vishal Bhardwaj completely nails it. He adds the perfect Indian bits to the movie, making it blend in with the culture.
The actors in every trilogy do justice to the direction and superb screenplay as well. They are a must-watch for all cinema lovers.