sarthakbharad2926

The story of batman's greatest failure is indeed a tragic one to say the least but, one that is extremely entertaining to watch. I basically knew who the red hood was the minute he showed up and quite possibly, you will too but, is the red hood's secret identity all the film's going for? NO. The film poses a shockingly devastating question in front of the audience and in front of batman himself, "Is his antiquated sense of morality clouding his judgement on criminals?" We all know Batman does not kill. It is his one moral code. A line he absolutely will not cross under any circumstances but, is that what he really should be doing? The film could've easily taken the easy way out by having batman say that, "Killing makes him like one of them" but, the film is smart. It doesn't outright deny this moral ambiguity batman is presented with but also doesn't stand by it rather, leaves it upon the audience to decide which is what I love about this film the most.

The traditional, hand-drawn animation is fluid and full of colour. I have always adored DC's animated projects because the one thing they've always been good at is creating animation. No one's ever come even remotely close and this film continues the trend.

The voice acting is just great. Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles, John DiMaggio, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Isaacs and Wade Williams all give excellent performances. Jensen Ackles and John DiMaggio felt particular standouts to me because of the roles they play in this story. John DiMaggio's role is brief but one that doesn't fail to leave an impact.

I feel like I might appreciate this film more on subsequent watches but for now, I think I'll go with the 7 stars rating. This isn't a bad film persay, but my viewing experience was a bit convoluted. To sum it up, make sure there are subtitles because you will miss out on important bits (one being a huge plot point which is essentially what drives the third act forward) and make sure to keep the brightness on max and no lights are lit because there are many, many night shots which are barely visible even if a little light is present.

The story of Nooran finding her lost song could've been quite a character-study but it transcends to something much more niche and something which may or may not connect with you. It almost connected with me until it didn't. I can't really explain what went wrong because it feels too convoluted and self-indulgent and I'll just leave that to you to decide. I was very confused as to where the third act goes as the payoff that was setup at the end of first act doesn't really seem like one. The end to this story (judging it for what it is and not for what I was expecting it to be) should feel very powerful and moving rather, it feels unearned and somewhat on the ambiguous side with much left for the viewer to decode. I love ambiguity, I really do but a filmmaker should atleast be competent enough to understand what a viewer might and might not understand. I feel like a dumbass who didn't understand the end but what I'm trying to say is, the ending could've felt a bit more earned and satisfying than it actually is.

The film very heavily utilizes the marwadi accent with it's characters and while Irrfan quite smoothly slides into his character, Golshifteh Farahani's dialect was more of that of an actor trying their best. This doesn't mean that Golshifteh's performance is awful, on the contrary, I connected with her the most since this is her story and Director Anup Singh does manage that quite firmly. The performances are all excellent. Irrfan as always is great, Golshifteh as the lead is quite the empathatic presence and you develop a significant amount of care for her throughout the film but, it was Waheeda Rehman who in particular stood out to me. She plays the role of Nooran's mother and although her presence is brief, she never feels out of place and works quite well in service for the story.

The songs and cinematography are also great. The folk marwadi songs were a somber tune for the ears and the cinematography is just beautiful. This film is absolutely ravishing to look at. DOP Pietro Zuercher takes Anup's vision a step ahead. It's almost on the same level as Greig Fraser marinated the dark and broody tones of Gotham with hints of shades of black in The Batman, The Song Of Scorpions follows the same visuals but the setup now moves to a desert. Costume design by Divya and Nidhi Gambhir, art direction by Mayur Mulam and Production design by Rajesh Yadav are authentic and near to perfection.

Haider's got everything. Vishal Bhardwaj directing Shakespeare, Gulzar Saab writing lyrics, Tabu, hard-hitting monologues, breath-taking setting, Tabu, deep and dark political undertones that'll shake your beliefs and question what you know and what you don't until you deep dive through articles and articles and articles and realise how messed up the world really is and... Tabu.

So, how does a film based on a play from 1599, set in 1995, released in 2014 and rewatched in 2022, still manage to be awesome? The answer is quite simple. TREATMENT. Instead of showing us the regular Kashmir Ki Kali that Shammi Kapoor would dance around in, the film takes the state's politics and history and wraps it up quite neatly in very very very high Shakespearian drama. In school, nothing was more boring than Shakespeare, but in the hands of veteran Vishal Bhardwaj, it all feels fresher than ever.

The film does follow the basic storyline of Hamlet, but the meticulous craft with which Bhardwaj manages to inculcate the separatist situations and the nation's reaction to those situations is just brilliant. None of the subplots feel like they shouldn't have been a part of the film because frankly, all of them buildup to an explosive and satisfying climax which I've rarely seen in Indian Cinema. To summarise, the film follows a chain of events that is driven by one mission and one mission only. INTEKAAM (REVENGE).

The acting is just phenomenal. It's in the film, that you notice, what an actor with a caliber of Shahid Kapoor can do in the hands of a good director. The Are We or Are We Not? Monologue is still etched in my brain due to the sheer impact of it's writing and the way Shahid delivers it in the film. He's always been good, just his film choices haven't been so "Shaandaar". Then comes in Kay Kay Menon. He is so good as the antagonist Khurram that even when he's acting all innocent, I wanna punch him in the face (he owes me a laptop btw). Sometimes, you feel that Shakespeare wrote the part specifically for him. Okay, let's talk about Tabu. She needs to be stored in a gold vault and protected forever. It is impossible to take your eyes away from her when she's in a scene. Now, talking about the show stealer, Irrfan Khan. His character in the film is brief but, he still manages to steal every scene he's in (as usual). Also, his entrance scene might just be one of the best entrances I've ever seen in out of all the 7 pieces of artform in existence.

Vishal Bhardwaj also manages to sneak in the Oedipus Complex that was also quite evident in the original novel without making it seem cringe. This adds an extra layer to Haider's character in manifesting his hatred for Khurram. Because, Khurram has done what Haider subconsciously always wanted. Kill his dad and marry his mom, which essentially is the definiton of the Oedipus Complex. This also makes the ending somewhat open to your own interpretation as to why Haider chooses to do what he does?

Now, talking about the music. It's just mind-boggling. Bismil, Aao Na, Jhelum Jhelum, each and every song is just marvelous. Especially Bismil and a rendition of Aao Na before the very end of the film. Gulzar literally said, I'll take on Shakespeare and write my own version of the song sequence where Hamlet reveals his true desires to everyone. And my god, Dil Dhadke Dil DIl Dhadke indeed.

I think everyone needs to watch this film atleast once in their lives not just to see the brilliance of Vishal Bhardwaj's adapting techniques but also to see the brilliance with which he does it. This also is my favourite among Bhardwaj's so called Shakespeare Trilogy each of which is a brillaint piece of work on it's own.