Haider – 2014 – Vishal Bhardwaj
Haider is a brilliant and violent film, and an excellent adaptation. But there are places it falters too.
The acting is extremely brilliant from everyone, but Tabu and Shahid (more so in the second half) are masterpieces. The visual imagery is stark (Kashmir is graveyard-ly calm and peaceful), and there are scenes that are every camera dreams to capture.
The references to Salman, and Shakespeare (and the broken accent) are both humorous and jibberish, and borderline sane. The picturisation of the song Bismil will leave you numbed (It has to be one of the most evocative sequences of its times.).
The violence is intense but well-played (I am amazed that the censor board allowed this much at such a rating). But the movie faults at keeping pace, its length is a bit too much and pacing uneven, which kills it.
But that should not stop you from ravaging this feast, which dare I say, has the ‘Chutzpah‘ to stand out as one of its kind in Indian cinema.
hungryrj 