(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Vishals fascination with Shakespeare is undeniable.
Shahid Kapoor was not sure whose coffee he was having while he sat on the couch with City Times during his recent trip to Dubai. “I am very forgetful” quipped the 33-year-old actor who is looking fresher and more hip than ever. Accompanying him was the talented Shraddha Kapoor who enacts the role of Ophelia/Arshiya in their new film Haider a Bollywood version of Hamlet. Shahid and Shraddha sportingly wrapped up their UAE press conference by enacting the iconic moment from the trailer where Shahid is adressing Kashmiri locals using the noose around his neck as a microphone. Though director Vishal Bhardwaj could not make it to our shores both the actors made sure he was not left out of the conversation.
The Bard and Bhardwaj
Vishal’s fascination with Shakespeare is undeniable. Haider is the final adaptation of Bhardwaj’s Shakespeare trilogy after Maqbool (Macbeth) and Omkara (Othello). Shakespeare’s Hamlet talks about a prince of Denmark whose life turns dark when his father is killed and his mother goes on to marry his uncle. Vishal sets his Hamlet adaptation in Kashmir in the 90s. This film is loaded with an ensemble cast of great actors (Shahid Tabu Kay Kay Menon Shraddha) who have (from the looks of the trailer) all given an outstanding performance. Haider is being touted as a career-defining film for Shahid.
Kaminey which was Shahid’s last film with Vishal proved to be a game changer for the actor. After the film they had a fallout and Vishal swore to never work with Shahid again. They both patched up eventually and Shahid even committed to shave his hair off for the dark and intense role of Haider. Even Shahid’s family tasted a bit of Hamlet’s madness while the actor was shooting for the film.“I descended into the madness of Haider. My parents were worried for me actually because I was not myself even after the shoot; I was so much into the character.”
Talking about the director who gets the best out of him Shahid referred to Bhardwaj as a complete artist. “He is somebody who creates music and writes his own dialogue; he has an amazing amount of knowledge about cinema and characters. He also has the amazing Gulzar saab to write for his films. So he is very evolved as a filmmaker and you constantly feel that when you are around him. You feel that he has a bank of information that you can count on and fall back on. But Haider is spiritual and philosophical for various reasons. I would say ultimately Haider is an entertaining film but it is entertainment with substance. It is the telling of a very emotional story. It is an adaptation of Hamlet but ultimately about people who live in Kashmir in 1990. It is strong emotional edgy and dark because that is Vishal sir’s forte. I think he loves making films for the youth because there is always a certain edge to his storytelling which appeals to me. When he first narrated the idea of Kaminey I felt like it is some sixteen year old’s thinking because it was such an out of the box kind of idea; he has that kind of a mind that is how he functions.”
It’s complicated
The complexity of human relationships is always an important aspect in Vishal’s films. Tabu takes on the character of Hamlet’s mother Gertrude who is said to be one of the most controversial and complex characters ever written. She loves her son intensely a feeling which Hamlet reciprocates amply. Shahid told us that this seemingly incestuous relationship between Hamlet and his mother is underplayed in the film. “His relationship with his mother is a bit complex. It is complex because Hamlet is considered to be literature and certain aspects of Shakespeare are considered classics like there is a scene where Hamlet is holding a skull and talking to a skull. So you cannot remove it because that means as a filmmaker you are not giving respect to a very significant part of the literature of the play. However I can best explain it as - if you are looking for it you will feel it if you are not looking for it you will not feel it. It’s very underplayed.”
No wonder Vishal’s heroines never take traditional routes. He stays away from typecasting his ladies. Actresses like Priyanka Chopra (Saat Khoon Maaf) Kareena Kapoor Konkana Sen Sharma (Omkara) Tabu (Maqbool) have given some of their most memorable performances in his films. Vishal felt that Shraddha has the perfect Kashmiri eyes which are very expressive. The actress’ light brown eyes convey a lot of emotions which Vishal found to be extremely rare and hence he cast her for the role of Arshiya/Ophelia.
We hear that he has added more layers in the character for Shraddha who said “His (Vishal) aura is extremely positive. He is a very loving and warm person and that translates in his work. Even when you feel unsure about yourself he makes you feel really good and really loved. And this is the first time I am getting to work with a superstar and a whole group of talented actors so for me also it’s been a first for that reason. I have been wishing to work with him (Shahid) and Vishal sir and I get to do that. Plus I get to play Ophelia. I actually feel like I was just happy that Vishal sir was taking me in a film my satisfaction had ended there; anything more than that was a bonus. It is a once in a lifetime dream come true. Listening to everything that Vishal told me to do was my reference point to prepare for the role of Arshiya. I kept my mind open. I hope that comes across on screen and people feel that my portrayal of Arshiya looks authentic.”
Shahid on Shraddha’s recent rise in popularity
“I feel very happy for her. It’s not like she has just started off. She has really waited and gone and met people did her first movie that did not do so well and then she did not take random decisions. She did not just jump into films; she was patient. I know her from a little before we did Haider we had met a few times and she was just patiently waiting. She was not overtly ambitious trying to make things happen when they do not happen. She was waiting for a good opportunity with certain sincerity and honesty. I feel very happy to see where she is right now. She is in a very good place; she has a nice period ahead of her where she can make really good choices. She has come at a good time in the industry because there is a lot of variety and new filmmakers and new films being made. She will get a lot of opportunities in the coming days. Haider will bring out a different side to her. People have seen her as someone who is pretty and vulnerable but with Haider they will see her as an actor.”
Clash of the Titans
Haider takes on Hrithik Roshan’s Bang Bang which releases on the same day. Though both the movies are starkly different Haider is a tragic revenge drama whereas Bang Bang is an out and out commercial potboiler with glamourized action sequences and the sizzling pairing of Hrithik and Katrina. When asked about the face-off Shahid sounded a bit testy“That’s why we make promos which show content. Then you are making an informed choice. Trailers are like sampling a product before you buy it. It’s like how you go to an ice-cream parlour and taste the flavours.”
In spite of being a talented actor Shahid has seen more failure than success in his career. He was once known as an arrogant and difficult guy. But the actor says that he has now mellowed down.
“My process is now no more result oriented so I do not think ‘Oh this is going to do well.’ I am working with good people and nice co-stars. I want to do a good job and make nice movies and promise the audience some quality entertainment and just mess around try different things have fun and enjoy myself. That is where I am right now in my head. There will always be different perceptions which people will have; lot of times you could be the one with a really successful film behind you and you could be in a different space mentally and sometimes you have come out of an unsuccessful film and will be in a different space mentally. Our mental journey is very different from the way people perceive it but I am very happy where I am right now. I feel that I am focusing on the right things.”