"Haider" is one huge success in Bollywood and it's all thanks to director Vishal Bhardwaj. His love for Shakespeare's works has again translated into a beautiful work of art that every Indian can enjoy.
Bhardwaj has been known to make movies from Shakespeare's works. In 2003, he made "Maqbool" based on "Macbeth." In 2006, he made "Omkara" based on "Othello." And this 2014, he made "Haider" based on "Hamlet." All of his adaptations have been successful.
However, "Haider" stirred some controversy from the media and Indians. Bhardwaj was bolder in his film and used Kashmir as the backdrop for the movie, which instantly caused negative comments to be hurled at him and the film.
Kashmir remains a sensitive political topic in modern India, and the film surely invoked some positive and negative feelings alike. The movie was set in the 1990s during the insurgency in Kashmir.
While critics and movie goers applaude "Haider" for excellently portraying Hamlet's characters and emotions in the film, these people cannot seem to move past the graphic interpretation of human abuse during that time.
The insurgency in Kashmir was an armed struggle between India and Pakistan, with both sides claiming Kashmir as their own. Separatist groups wanted freedom, while security forces were working hard to slam these groups and regain order in Kashmir.
The controversy sparked when the film showed graphic scenes of human rights abuse, particularly torture in the Indian camps performed by the Indian officials themselves, wrote The Guardian. Consequently, the Indian government, media and other citizens don't like the portrayal at all.
But what does Director Bhardwaj have to say about his work? He defended it.
"I'm also an Indian, I'm also a patriot, I also love my nation. So I won't do anything which is anti-national. But what is anti-human, I will definitely comment on it," he told Times of India.
While many believe that Shahid Kapoor's performance of "Haider" was sensational, the plot controversy continues to stir comments online and in social media. People are divided between loving the film for the beauty that it is and disliking the portrayal of the Indian army during the insurgency. Some are even petitioning to boycott the movie and using the hashtag #BoycottHaider.
