Haider serves as the last entry in
Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespearean trilogy. Loosely based on Hamlet, the
film sets this classic story against the backdrop of the Kashmir conflict in
1995. Haider—our Hamlet—struggles with the internal conflict of whether or not
to avenge his father’s betrayal at the hands of his uncle, Khurram. For a
commercial product, the film breaks the tradition of “masala” Bollywood cinema.
It has sexuality, graphic violence, and pointed political commentary—all the
ingredients you would expect to alienate large segments of the mainstream
audience. But despite generating a good deal of controversy, the film still
managed to be a success. Even more surprising is the film’s first (and one of
only two) musical number, “Bismil.”
Amidst the
serious tone of the film, a musical number initially seems out of place.
However, Bhardwaj manages not only to “make it fit,” but also to create the
film’s most engaging and emotionally pivotal scene. The scene arrives half way
through the second act, after Khurram marries Ghazala, Haider’s mother. It is Haider’s
version of Hamlet’s Act III Scene II, the play-within-a-play. In the
original version, Hamlet has players act out his father’s murder, in order to
see how his uncle reacts. A suspicious reaction would confirm his guilt. In
this version, the “play” serves a slightly different role. At this point,
Khurram’s guilt is confirmed in Haider’s mind. Nonetheless, the scene is a
turning point in Haider’s resolve to kill his uncle. “Bismil” tells the story
of his uncle poisoning his brother’s marriage. But more importantly, it tells
the story of how the thirst for vengeance poisons Haider. This second story is
told primarily through color.
The scene’s
use of color alludes to an emotional entanglement of coldness and anger, and
hints at the bloody climax to come. Haider stages his performance in a temple
in ruins. Beyond what’s left of the temple walls, white extends in every
direction—the white of the empty sunless sky, and the white of the ground’s
cold snow. In a film where the political strife of the Kashmir setting seeps
into every story element, this scene stands out for its lack of context.
In this one moment, the film’s personal melodrama supersedes politics. The
external conflict takes a backseat and Haider’s internal conflict takes center
stage. The white background creates a sense of isolation. This isolation in
physical space is representative of Haider’s emotional distancing.
Moreover, the
scene’s color scheme alludes to the necessity of this distancing. Haider is on
the verge of total destruction, and must keep his emotions at bay long enough
to direct that destruction at his enemies. Pockets of red appear in bursts
throughout the screen space. The posts that circle the stage are donned with
red materials, the background dancers wear red belts against their tan outfits,
part of Haider’s costume is also red, and the towering statue wears a red mask.
These red objects evoke images of blood and death. Along with death, the red
represents the explosive anger within Haider. In fact, the character that wears
the most red, Ghazala, later turns herself into a bomb, delivering death to
herself and others through an explosion.
If red
represents Haider’s anger, then black represents his corruption. Before the
statue’s face is revealed, it stands at the rear of the stage, simply as a
figure enshrouded in blackness. Later in the song, this figure throws the
father puppet in river, showing that the figure represents the cunning Khurram.
Not coincidentally, Haider also wears a dark outfit for his performance. This connection
between Haider and the devilish figure draws a parallel between Khurram and
Haider. Although Khurram is the film’s “villain” and Haider is its de facto
“hero”, both take the plunge into darkness. When Haider dips his fingers into
the bowl and paints his cheeks red and black, he officially chooses the side of
anger, and lets the malevolent force of vengeance in. When he pours the
remaining contents of the bowl onto the stage, he makes it clear that he
intends to spill blood.
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