Didwania, Anshuman -- Haider

Haider is a powerful narrative by noted Indian filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj that explores numerous issues, including the Kashmir conflict, terrorism, legislation in India as well as adapts Shakespearean drama to the Indian context. Vishal Bharadwaj, as a new-age filmmaker who has made powerful storytelling at the center of his movies has managed to take serious literary and cinematic themes and make them mainstream. Haider is his newest endeavor in such adaptations after ground-breaking and critically-acclaimed movies like Ishqiya, Maqbool and Omkara. A few themes that are particularly powerful and stood out for me were:

·       The Genesis of the Kashmir Conflict

·       Characterization of the Indian Army

·       Cinematic Artefacts Deployed

THE GENESIS OF THE KASHMIR CONFLICT

            The Kashmir conflict, with roots dating back to the Partition (which co-incidentally was covered as part of 1947, Earth), was explored with much nuance and precision by Vishal Bharadwaj in Haider.  The opening scenes set up the conflict that will inevitably plague the protagonists. On one hand, there are the insurgents (or terrorists, depending on the viewpoint taken), who are being assisted by Haider’s father, a doctor, on the principle that it is his “duty” to help everyone and anyone that requires his services. Yet, on the other hand, we see a rather draconian measure being executed by the Indian Army in a search/validation operation where every male member of the town is being identified and screened by a masked informant. The tension is immediate and palpable, and peaks when the doctor is selected by the informant to be apprehended. As the doctor is being whisked away, with his fate unknown, there appears to be an army operation to flush out the insurgents holed up within the doctor’s house, where he had given them refuge. The lack of foresight and empathy in the conflict is most highlighted when the leader of the army operation, upon seeing one of his soldiers wounded, orders the entire house to be blown up with a bazooka instead of trying to capture the insurgents alive through a more tactical operation – of course, this makes sense from his viewpoint, but he does not consider Haider or his mother who still resided there, and as always, become the bystanders and casualties of a conflict which they did not choose to partake or participate in.

            As the movie progresses, the viewers are subtly, but very powerfully, exposed to the horrors of the Kashmir conflict that the everyday Kashmiri is facing. We see issues like the AFSPA (the Armed Forces Special Powers Act), Article 370, local Kashmiri politics, local police atrocities, and of course Pakistan-sponsored (“sarhad ke paar”) insurgency that infiltrate the lives of local citizens like Haider. Vishal Bharadwaj, through a beautifully poignant scene, depicts that while Haider’s father had reconciled with his fate, what had brought him pain and misery and a longing for revenge was not the politically-charged Kashmiri conflict that he had become mired in, but the betrayal by his own brother, who had capitalized on the conflict to not just attain power, but also to abuse it. Another powerful scene that highlighted the conflict was Haider’s “AFSPA Chutzpah” tirade in the town square – while it did have elements of Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” personal existential woes, it primarily represented Haider’s political existential conundrums where he was torn between loyalty to Pakistan and India, and very poignantly refers to the fact that no one asks “them” what they want, which is “Azaadi” (Freedom).

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INDIAN ARMY

            The Indian Army has been valorized by Bollywood over its history – from movies like Border to Mission Kashmir to LOC Kargil – the military has always been portrayed as a powerful, moral force which is completely indispensable and in the right. It makes sense that such an institution would be valorized in a country like India – the country split by so many socio-political, religious, and ethnic differences is united by very few entities, and an institution like the military is one of them. It is, after all, a larger than life organization that protects and safeguards one and all. Additionally, there have been numerous skirmishes and wars that India has fought in its short stint as an independent modern country, and the citizens are well-aware of high valued the services of the military are. Thus, it is conceivable that one of the largest armies in the world would be worshipped in lore, literature and cinema in a country like India.

However, Vishal Bharadwaj’s Haider takes a more nuanced and unbiased perspective on the topic. In Haider, Bharadwaj does not aim to label the army in broad strokes – neither good nor bad. He very smartly identifies agency issues that persist and exist in any organization – including the Indian Army – an showcases the impact that these issues could have on the general populace. The first instance is already referred to above – where a squadron leader blows up Haider’s house without any concern for the citizens who own the house, and this has long-term impact on not just Haider, but his entire family. More instances of such agency problems within the army are highlighted through the corruptibility of the local police force that is working with the army, and is seeking to earn substantial money based on the number of militants that they encounter and kill – clearly, a policy and formula that will lead to uninhibited abuse without any accountability and checks, taking many casualties in the process. Finally, the arbitrary nature of AFSPA and Article 370 is demonstrated throughout the movie, most notably by Haider’s demonstration in the town square, but more subtly through the depiction of the associations of widowers, and abandoned sisters, mothers, daughters, and relatives. Haider, despite being a young man full of promise, is shown going from court to court, door to door, association to association, trying not just to find his own father, but also speak for the victims and the relatives of the victims that have fallen prey to draconian laws such as the AFSPA and Article 370, and the enforcement by corrupted officials of the army and the local administration.

CINEMATIC ARTEFACTS DEPLOYED

            Apart from the obvious references to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Vishal Bharadwaj also used some very bold and revolutionary techniques which are rather unusual in Bollywood. For instance, in order to lend darkness and depth to the movie, the movie was largely monotone. Even the celebrated Dal Lake of Kashmir was portrayed as something foreboding and forlorn. The references to Islamic terrorism and Pakistan were also evident in the abundant use of green throughout the movie. This was of course in stark contrast to the more urbanized and colorful movies that have been churned out by other more mainstream directors in Bollywood and Indian cinema where color and picturesque locales are necessary ingredients of the entertainment experience at the movies. Finally, it was interesting to see how noir elements were added through the usage of and depiction of blood in the movie – most notably at the very end. Most Indian movies tend to shy away from displaying graphic scenes with significant gore. However, as with his previous endeavors, Vishal Bharadwaj did not shy away from liberal, but tasteful deployment of blood in the movie – for instance, the last scene, which is expected to be a sort of a battleground, features some extremely graphic scenes (including decapitation), but yet, the violence seemed necessary instead of gratuitous.