Haider (film)

Haider is a 2014 Indian crime drama film

written, produced and directed by Vishal
Bhardwaj, and co-written by Basharat
Peer. It stars Shahid Kapoor as the titular
protagonist, and co-stars Tabu, Shraddha
Kapoor and Kay Kay Menon. Irrfan Khan
appears in an extended special
appearance. The film is both a modern-
day adaptation of William Shakespeare's
tragedy Hamlet and an adaptation of
Basharat Peer's memoir Curfewed Night,
set amidst the insurgency-hit Kashmir
conflicts of 1995 and civilian
disappearances.[2] Haider, a young
student and a poet, returns to Kashmir at
the peak of the conflict to seek answers
about his father's disappearance and
ends up being tugged into the politics of
the state.[3]
 Haider

Theatrical release poster

Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj

Produced by Vishal Bhardwaj

Siddharth Roy Kapur

Written by Vishal Bhardwaj

Screenplay by Basharat Peer

Vishal Bhardwaj
(Also Dialogues)

Based on Hamlet
by William
 Shakespeare

Starring Shahid Kapoor

Tabu
Shraddha Kapoor
Narendra Jha
Kay Kay Menon

Music by Vishal Bhardwaj

Cinematography Pankaj Kumar

Edited by Aarif Sheikh

Production VB Pictures
company
Distributed by UTV Motion Pictures

Release date 2 October 2014

Running time 162 minutes

Country India

Language Hindi
Budget ₹350 million[1]

Box office ₹981.67 million[1]

Haider is the third installment of

Bhardwaj's Shakespearean trilogy after
Maqbool (2003) and Omkara (2006).[4]
The film was screened at the 19th Busan
International Film Festival,[5] and
released worldwide on 2 October 2014 to
wide critical acclaim and the film was a
success at the box office and garnered
attention from the media due to its
controversial subject matter.[3] The
direction, performances of Kay Kay
Menon, Tabu and Shahid Kapoor,
screenplay, film score and editing
received praise and garnered several
accolades.

Haider was the first Indian film to win the

People's Choice Award at the Rome Film
Festival.[3][6] Among several awards and
nominations in India, the film won five
National Film Awards: Best Male
Playback Singer, Best Dialogue, Best
choreography, Best Costume Design, and
Best Music Direction.

Plot
In 1995, during the insurgency in
Kashmir, Hilaal Meer (Narendra Jha), a
doctor based in Srinagar, agrees to
perform an appendectomy on Ikhlaque,
the leader of a pro-separatist militant
group. To avoid detection, he performs
the surgery at his house, much to the
chagrin of his wife Ghazala (Tabu), who
questions his allegiance. The following
day, during a military raid, Hilaal is
accused of harbouring terrorists. A
shootout ensues at his home, during
which Ikhlaque is killed and Hilaal is
taken away for questioning. The doctor's
house is bombed subsequently to kill any
other militant hiding inside. Several days
later Ghazala's son, Haider (Shahid
Kapoor), returns from Aligarh Muslim
University to seek answers about his
father's disappearance. Upon arrival, he
is shocked to find his mother singing and
laughing along with her brother-in-law,
Khurram (Kay Kay Menon). Unable to
understand his mother's behaviour, he
begins searching for his father in various
police stations and detention camps with
the help of his childhood sweetheart
Arshia Lone (Shraddha Kapoor), a
journalist.

Saddened by the growing closeness

between Ghazala and Khurram, and
unable to find any leads, Haider begins to
lose hope. However, Arshia encounters a
stranger, Roohdar, who asks her to
inform Haider that he will be able to
provide information about Hilaal. Haider
contacts Roohdar (Irrfan), who turns out
to be part of a separatist group. Roohdar
then narrates the story of how he met
Hilaal in one of the detention centers,
where they both were tortured. Hilaal
attributes his imprisonment to his
brother, Khurram. Roohdaar then tells the
story of how Hilaal was brutally
murdered by Khurram's made-up terrorist
group and how Roohdar survived after
being shot and thrown into the river with
Hilaal, which stopped his bleeding and
allowed him to escape, though Hilaal
died. Roohdaar then tells Haider that he
simply wanted to pass on his father's
message to him: revenge for Khurram's
betrayal. Thereafter, angry and swearing
to avenge the injustice done to his father,
Haider breaks down at Hilaal's grave site
and becomes mentally and emotionally
shattered. He starts suffering from the
effects of a post-traumatic stress
disorder, shaving his head and behaving
strangely. Khurram, after learning of the
meeting between Haider and Roohdar,
tells him that Roohdar was the one who
killed his father. Haider is now confused
as to whom to believe despite knowing
the truth himself, and discloses his
dilemma to Arshia, adding that Roohdar
gave him a gun to kill his uncle. Arshia
confides this to her father Pervez, who
informs Khurram about the gun.
Khurram, at a ceremony related to his
marriage with Ghazala, which has now
been solemnised, immediately orders his
men to corner Haider and send him to a
mental institution.

The following morning, Haider is all set to

kill his uncle but cannot accomplish it
because his uncle is offering prayers and
his morals prevent it. Haider is captured
by Pervez who orders him to be
executed, but Haider manages to escape,
although not before mercilessly killing
his captors, the Salmans. He contacts
Roohdar, who suggests getting trained in
Pakistan to avenge his father's death,
and Haider agrees. He calls his mother
and informs her about it to which she
asks him to meet her once before going
to the other side of border. During the
meeting, Ghazala discloses that she had
told Khurram about the terrorists hiding
in their house not knowing that he was
an informer of the Indian army. Pervez
traces them and is about to shoot Haider
when Haider shoots him dead and
escapes.

Tormented by her father's death at the

hands of Haider, Arshia is emotionally
traumatized and commits suicide.
Meanwhile, Ghazala finds Roohdar's
contact number from Arshia's diary and
calls him. Haider goes to his pickup
point, the graveyard where his father was
buried. At the graveyard, Haider
contemplates about the universal nature
of mortality. On seeing Arshia's brother
Liyaqat in the graveyard, he realises that
the corpse is of Arshia. He runs towards
her body where Liyaqat sees him and
informs Khurram. A fight ensues
between Haider and Liyaqat, resulting in
the latter's death. Khurram arrives with
full force and a gunfight ensues;
meanwhile Roohdar drops Ghazala at the
graveyard. A fierce exchange of bullets
and bombs leaves only Haider and few
men on Khurram's side alive. Just when
Khurram is about to kill Haider, Ghazala
pleads for a chance to convince Haider
to surrender. She confronts her son who
says that he cannot die before avenging
his father's death. Ghazala tells him that
revenge only results in revenge and there
is no end to this cycle, but Haider, who is
bent on revenge, does not understand.
Ghazala kisses Haider goodbye and
steps outside, only to reveal that she is
wearing a suicide vest, given to her by
Roohdar. Khurram and Haider rush
towards her but she pulls the pins of the
hand grenade resulting in a big explosion,
killing herself along with the rest of
Khurram's men and gravely injuring
Khurram himself, while Haider is only
slightly thrown back from the force of the
explosion. Haider goes to his mother's
remains, weeps by her side and goes to
kill Khurram, whose legs have been
severed from his body.

He is reminded of his mother's words

that "revenge only results in revenge" and
thus decides to let Khurram live. Khurram
begs Haider to kill him to free him from
the burden of guilt and to avenge his
father's death, but Haider doesn't oblige
Khurram, and instead ignores him and
leaves just as Khurram dies.

Cast
 Actor Role Based on

Shahid Kapoor Haider Meer Prince Hamlet

Tabu Ghazala Meer (Haider's Mother) Gertrude

Shraddha Kapoor Arshia Lone Ophelia

Narendra Jha Dr. Hilal Meer (Haider's Father) King Hamlet

Irrfan Khan Roohdaar Ghost (Hamlet)

Kay Kay Menon Khurram Meer Claudius

Kulbhushan Kharbanda Hussain Meer

Lalit Parimoo Pervez Lone Polonius

Ashish Vidyarthi Brigadier T. S. Murthy

Aamir Bashir Liyaqat Lone Laertes

Sumit Kaul (Salman 1) Courtier Rosencrantz

Rajat Bhagat (Salman 2) Courtier Guildenstern

Ashwath Bhatt Zahoor Hussain Fortinbras

Mohommed Ali Shah Army Major

Anshuman Malhotra Young Haider

Boloram Das Interrogation officer

Production
Development …

Initially, Vishal Bhardwaj and Shahid

Kapoor were in talks of making a sequel
to their blockbuster film, Kaminey
(2009).[7] The project was put on hold
and a new project with Kapoor in the lead
was confirmed, titled as Haider, which
was reportedly based on an adaptation
of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.[8] The
adaptation was made to portray the
political intrigue and history of Kashmir
as well as the play's sexual conflicts.[9]
Bhardwaj was initially developing the play
as a contemporary espionage thriller with
author Stephen Alter.[10] They wrote a 30-
page synopsis that was sent to Gulzar.
Though Gulzar liked the synopsis but
enquired Bhardwaj of the missing
tragedy of Hamlet in the penned thriller.
The synopsis had incomplete details
about the life, authenticity and Official
Secrets Act of RAW agents.[10] On his
return to India, Bharadwaj's wife Rekha
Bhardwaj was reading Basharat Peer's
memoir, Curfewed Night, a book based
on life in violence-wracked Kashmir. His
wife was deeply moved after reading the
book. Bharadwaj didn't immediately read
the book but was aware about its
content. Later, Bhardwaj desired to
change the synopsis. Remembering
Basharat's book, he contacted him and
they started the work.[10] Bhardwaj
quoted importance of Basharat in the
film as, "If Basharat was not a part of the
film, Haider wouldn't be made or it
wouldn't be made this way."[10] The film is
Peer's first film project. On co-scripting
the same, he stated that writing
Curfewed Night was a response to
caricatures of Kashmiris in Indian
political writing whereas he wrote Haider
in the same spirit, with the same feeling
with Bhardwaj.[11] Bhardwaj and he
agonised a lot over the soliloquies
required. There were sections of the To
be, or not to be speech that was
translated directly in Hindi. Due to
constraints of time they had to omit the
Apparel maketh a man soliloquy
though.[11] They retained and translated
the section where "Hamlet" meets
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and
speaks about Denmark being in prison.
Further, new soliloquies were created to
convey "Hamlet"'s madness and the
veiled political satire in it.[11] This was
brought in when "Haider" with his head
shaved, dressed in torn, shabby clothes
rants on a traffic roundabout in Srinagar
and apart from a few senseless jokes,
reads out the bare act of the Armed
Forces Special Powers Act.[11] Apart
from this, Peer explained that an
adaptation doesn't exactly follow the
original, like the part of Fortinbras was
barely there in Haider. The world of King
Claudius and Polonius is portrayed as the
counter-insurgency and government-run,
counter-insurgent militias in Haider and
thematically dominates the action.[11]
“ It was the political turmoil and the
25 years of tragedy of Kashmir
that compelled me. Our way of
looking at Kashmir has either been
cosmetic – only for shooting
songs – or rhetoric, where we
show a man in a phiran, holding a
Kalashnikov. Haider is the first film
where we see Kashmir from the
inside. I don't think we have made
a mainstream film about the issue. ”
— Bhardwaj on setting Haider in Kashmir (in an
interview with The Indian Express)[10]

As per the story of the book Hamlet, an

Oedipus complex exists that draws
"Hamlet" (played by Shahid Kapoor)
towards his mother "Gertrude" (played by
Tabu) that could have been interpreted
both at a physical and psychological
level, however, Bhardwaj kept this
reference subtle as the target audience
was predominantly Indian and called it
'one of the aspects in this mother-son
relationship.' In his previous outing of
Othello's adaptation, Omkara (2006), he
removed the last monologue due to the
fact that it was more suited for a stage
play sequence but retained that type of
monologue for Haider. Shahid Kapoor
learnt a six-page monologue for the
climatic scene where his character
"Haider" turns mad. He put forth the
delivery of that monologue in front of a
crowd of 5000 listening. For filming the
scene, which was done in 3–4 hours,
Shahid Kapoor was made completely
bald.[12]

Sumit Kaul, who played the character of

one of the Salmans, was involved in
training the Kashmiri accent of actress
Tabu apart from lead actors Shahid and
Shraddha. His portions of filming were
canned in fifteen days, however, he was
with the team for two and a half months
in Kashmir. He taught the nuances of the
language especially when it translates
into English or Hindi.
“ I sat with both Shahid and
Shraddha tutored them in how to
speak Hindi with Kashmiri touch. ”
— Sumit Kaul reflecting on his role during the
filming of Haider (in an interview with
BollywoodLife.com)

Kaul also helped actress Tabu get the

enunciation when she sang the folk song
"Roshe Valle" that was a part of the film
score.[13]

Ghazala is torn between her

idealistic husband,
opportunistic brother-in-law,
and her innocent and
passionate son. Somewhere she
feels she has the responsibility
to keep everything in control
but obviously she can't. Her
love for her son is crazy. She is
always trying to protect him
from being misled and
misguided. He (Bhardwaj) cast
me as Shahid's mother because
he wanted the oddity of the
relationship to come out which
wouldn't have come across
with a regular aged mother
and son combination. Haider
shares a love/hate relationship
with Ghazala but it's a very
passionate emotion. You
 almost feel odd that these two
are mom and son. Haider's
predicament is that he doesn't
know what to do with his
mother—whether to love her,
hate her, believe her, or kill
her.

— Actress Tabu who plays

the character "Ghazala", in
an interview with The
Indian Express.[14]

Kapoor, along with Bhardwaj and UTV

Motion Pictures, each have a 33.3%
share in the film. The budget for the film
is ₹390 million (US$5.6 million) taking
into account ₹240 million
(US$3.5 million)[15] spent into the
production of the film and ₹150 million
(US$2.2 million) for promotions.[16]

Dolly Ahluwalia has designed costumes

for the film. She began working by
creating Kashmiri designs of costumes
in Delhi. When Vishal Bhardwaj and his
film's cinematographer were doing a
recce in the valley of Kashmir, she was
there to share her creative vision with
him. She took her sketches and
swatches there.[17] After that, she
returned to Delhi and continued with her
work there. Instead of picking up
costumes easily available in bazaars of
Kashmir, she designed the phirans for
Shahid Kapoor, hijabs and head scarves
for both Shraddha Kapoor and Tabu.[17]
Ahluwalia was quoted saying,
"Somewhere along the way her husband
disappears and she marries his brother
who is wealthier than him and this
change in marital status is explained
through richer colors and fabrics."[17] She
added that her real challenge was
exploring the psyche of the character
"Haider" through colors, textures and
cuts. The signs of madness in his
character are depicted through the pom-
poms in his cap during the track "Bismil"
that is a manifestation of the traditional
folk dance Dumhal of the Kashmiri valley
performed by Wattal tribes.[17] For the
costumes seen in climax portions, she
was quoted saying, "Against that white
snow backdrop I stuck to black and reds
to bring out the cold of the human mind
through the cold snow and the death of
romance in blood red hues."[17]

Filming …

Haider was shot in two parts. The first

schedule was in November–December
2013 and then next in January–February
2014. Keeping the weather conditions in
consideration, the first part of the film is
shot in Autumn-Winter and the second
part featuring intense drama and action
sequences under snow. The entire
filming was completed in 54 days.[18]

Principal photography began at Dal lake

in November 2013.[19] Haider was filmed
at Pahalgam, Kehribal area in Anantnag,
Mattan, Aishan Sahab Zaina Kadal Bridge
in old Srinagar, Nishat Bagh, Dal Lake,
Qazigund, Martand Sun Temple, Naseem
Bagh (at Kashmir University Garden),
Hazratbal and Sonamarg, all of which are
located in Jammu and Kashmir[20][21][22]
Bhardwaj was forced to pack up after a
group of Kashmir University students
disrupted shooting of a sequence of a
Fedayeen attack which was being
canned at the University of Kashmir at
Hazratbal.[23] The students objected to
the hoisting of the national flag atop a
makeshift bunker. A few students
objected to the shooting of a few scenes
and started "pro-freedom" slogans,
dismantling the stage. The youngsters
also forced them out of the shooting
location in Naseem Bagh (Kashmir
University Garden) despite heavy
security, claiming that they had no idea
about the shoot happening on that
location.[24][25] Students of University
raised also objection to Irrfan Khan when
he was spotted smoking inside the
campus.[26] The last schedule of filming
for 'Haider' began in Kashmir in January
2014.[27][28][29][30] For the song "Bismil"
that was shot at Martand Sun Temple in
Kashmir, Shahid Kapoor was quoted
saying, "It is one of the best shot songs
of my career. The location, the elements
like face paint to depict war situations,
have been used in 'Bismil'. Then there are
100 feet tall puppets, which I have never
seen in any song before."[31] For the
choreography Bhardwaj was very keen
that Shahid's character didn't have any
dance movements that Shahid did in his
previous films as it was required for the
character's angst and feelings. Bhardwaj
recruited a Norway-based choreographer
for the choreography of this track.[31] The
shooting of the film was also halted
briefly for a second time in Zainakadal in
Srinagar in January 2014, when a
spectator threw coal towards the
actors.[32][33] Filming was completed by
24 February 2014.[34]

Certification …

After 41 cuts, the Central Board of Film

Certification (CBFC) gave the film U/A
certificate.[35] The scenes that were
censored were a truck load of corpses,
wire being inserted inside a naked man, a
shot of a bloody dead body, abusive
words.[35] Apart from this, a shot of a
bare back during the song "Khul Kabhi
To" was also considered offensive and
censored. The Central Board of Film
Certification demanded deletion of a
scene where "Haider" (played by Shahid
Kapoor) cries on seeing flames.[35] A
confusion arose when Kumar along with
an examining committee saw the film
and prescribed the cuts. After the film
was re-edited, instead of sending it to the
revising committee for reviewing, Kumar
himself watched the film again and gave
it a U/A certificate.[35] Nandini Sardesai, a
member of the revising committee told
The Times of India that Kumar saw
Haider twice and passed it with a U/A
certificate. She stated that director of the
film Vishal Bhardwaj had apparently
agreed to the cuts. Later, Bhardwaj
clarified that the CBFC only demanded
seven cuts but gave his film 35 extra cuts
in order to make the script look more
realistic.[35] Bhardwaj added that since
the film is set in Kashmir and given the
associated troubled politics of the state,
he knew the film would land in
controversies.[35]

The controversy over film's plot, analysts

stated that India has become more open
to sensitive subjects.[36] Dr. Zakir
Hussain, a senior analyst at the Indian
Council of World Affairs was quoted
saying, "As democratic traditions
strengthen in the country, more and more
such movies will be made and people will
be educated. Haider is the first step in
that direction." Director Bhardwaj faced
criticism over the depiction of the armed
forces in an allegedly unfair way as the
film also portrayed scenes of torture in
Indian army camps and abuse of human
rights by Indian officials.[3] To this
portrayal, Indian Twitter users, filled with
sentiments brought up hashtagging of
words "#BoycottHaider" that generated
estimate 75,000 tweets since the film
release. In reply to this criticism, people
on Twitter started trending
#HaiderTrueCinema which trended for 2
days and this caused #BoycottHaider to
be withdrawn from the list of trending
Topics on Twitter.[37]
Music
The original songs and film score are
composed by Vishal Bhardwaj. The
soundtrack has nine songs whose lyrics
are penned by Gulzar, except for two
songs "Gulon Mein Rang Bhare" and "Aaj
Ke Naam" that were written by Faiz
Ahmed Faiz. Shahid Kapoor and
Shraddha Kapoor launched the music of
the film along with Vishal Bhardwaj at
Radio Mirchi studios in Mumbai by mid-
August 2014.[38] The soundtrack had a
digital as well as physical release on 12
September 2014. The film score was
digitally released on 24 October 2014.[39]
Critical reception
The film received critical acclaim
worldwide. Review aggregator Rotten
Tomatoes reports that 91% of 11
professional critics have given the film a
positive review, with a rating average of
6.7 out of 10.[40][41] The film is available
on Netflix.[42]

India …

Writing for The Hindu, Sudhish Kamath

felt, "Lyricist Gulzar, writer-director Vishal
Bhardwaj, and writer Basharat Peer have
given us an instant classic, a literary epic
(the screenplay is out in the stores too)
with a lesson to learn from recent history.
Haider is an incredibly brave
uncompromising film made with loads of
conviction with blatant disregard to
market conventions, one that will make
you cheer during the meta-moment in the
film."[43] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN
called that film an elegant, thrilling one
that casts a brave, unflinching eye on the
Kashmir struggle. He noted, "In deviating
from the original ending of Hamlet, it also
makes a necessary point about the
cyclical nature of revenge and
violence.He gave the movie 3.5/5
stars"[44] Writing for Deccan Chronicle,
Kusumita Das who compared the film to
the book summarized, "Considering
Hamlet, with all its complexity, is
certainly not an easy adaptation to
venture into – that alone could well make
this Vishal's finest film yet."[45] Mohar
Basu of Koimoi detailed out
performances, direction, script, editing
and screenplay gave the verdict, "Haider
is an unforgettable film that never
fumbles, never stumbles, and is so sure
of itself that it cannot go wrong. From
Shahid to Tabu to Kay Kay to the
powerful cameo of Irrfan, everything in
the film works. It's a Guztaq film that
audaciously breaks every rule in the
book, everything that you could have
expected from it and ends up being that
edgy watch which you'll savor, while you
watch it from the edge of seats. Haider is
Chutzpah and inkeeping with the same
vein, I will rate this film the highest I have
ever gone with a movie. This is an easy
4.5/5."[46] Critic Subhash K. Jha with
immense praise felt, "Haider is a beast
that just won't be tamed by regular
cinematic definitions. There is
flamboyance and subtlety, both at once
in the treatment. Elegance and
earthiness rub shoulders in the execution
of what is regarded as one of
Shakespeare's most complex tragedies.
Above all, there are the performances –
towering, luminous actors craning their
collective creative necks into the
director's vision, to give it mesmerising
magical spin. Mr Bhardwaj's third
Shakespearean sojourn is his best yet.
Haider is like a painting viewed from the
road inside an art gallery. The vision is
distant yet vivid, layered life-like and yet
exquisitely poetic."[47]

Critic Raja Sen of Rediff gave the film a

maximum of five stars and wrote: "Haider
is one of the most powerful political films
we've ever made, a bonafide masterpiece
that throbs with intensity and
purpose".[48] Writing for Mid Day, Shubha
Shetty-Saha said "Vishal Bharadwaj
brings alive the ecstasy, pain and passion
of Hamlet on screen, he also reminds us
of the harsh truth in our own backyard,
the man-made mayhem in the God-made
jannat [heaven] that is Kashmir".[49]
Faheem Ruhani for India Today praised
the Even the oedipal theme between
characters played by Shahid Kapoor and
Tabu, summarizing his review as, "Haider
may seem a bit sluggish in the first half
and slightly long. However, it makes up
for most of it in the dramatic, intense
climax that you are treated to towards
the end. Haider is definitely a film you
should not miss."[50] Zee News's critic
Ritika Handoo reviewed positively,
"William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' is a
masterpiece in literature, and Vishal
Bhardwaj's 'Haider' will be talked about in
the same vein as one such artistic
product in cinematic history. Haider will
be recognised as Shahid's career-best
performance."[51] Srijana Mitra Das of The
Times of India called the film "one of
cinema's bravest takes on identity,
frightening, yet fun" and particularly
praised Tabu's performance whom she
considered the prime asset of the film.[52]
Sweta Kaushal for Hindustan Times
noted, "Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider is a rare
Bollywood gem you must watch."[53]
Writing for Filmfare magazine, Rachit
Gupta felt, "Haider doesn't have an ounce
of the commercial thrills and spills that
entertain the 100-crore masses. But it
does have an undeniable dramatic
punch. It is one of the best stories you'll
every watch on celluloid. Give this edgy
film a chance to entertain you. Because it
will do so with aplomb. It's certainly
better than the other chutzpah out
there."[54] On the contrary, critic Shubhra
Gupta at The Indian Express felt the story-
telling falters, quoting that, "It is a
gorgeous but choppy film that you
cannot take your eyes off for fear of
losing another exquisite piece of
detailing; it is also one that fails to fully
keep you with it."[55] Aaj Tak has
published a review of the movie by an
Indian Army Officer that analyses the
movie from a soldier's standpoint. He
claims this movie has anti-India pro-
Separatist tone which portrays Indian
Army in bad light.[56]
Overseas …

Mike McHill of The Guardian wrote,

"Radical Indian version of Hamlet gives
the story compelling political angles and
musical surprises. A palpable hit, in any
language."[57] Rachel Saltz of The New
York Times titled her critical review as,
"Shakespearean Revenge in a Violent
Kashmir" emphasizing more on script
and directorial aspects, noting, "Haider
may not be the equal of Mr. Bhardwaj's
other Shakespeare films, and it may be
deficient in the "Hamlet" department, but
it certainly gives good Gertrude."[58] At
The Hollywood Reporter, Lisa Tsering was
more positive on the film, summarizing,
"With Haider, Bhardwaj wisely forgoes
the rough-edged attitude in his other
films to embrace a slicker and more
sophisticated style; and some of the
film's most effective moments are
masterful in their visual storytelling
skill."[59] Writing for Digital Spy, Priya
Joshi praised the movie, calling it a
'masterclass in film-making and
performance' and 'an exemplary cinema
and a work of great artistic merit.' She
added, "Shahid Kapoor is a standard-
bearer for a generation."[60] Suprateek
Chatterjee of the Firstpost praised
performances of Shahid Kapoor and
Tabu thereby calling Vishal Bharadwaj's
film 'best movie so far'.[61] Praising the
key aspects of the movie, critic Manjusha
Radhakrishnan for Gulf News writes,
"Everything about Haider is subtle:
including the undertones of the infamous
sexual tension between mother and son.
Tabu and Kapoor surrender themselves
completely to their roles and are
endearingly uninhibited. The pace is
never hurried, so be a bit patient and give
these superbly talented actors a chance.
Just like the cinematography that
captures Kashmir's rugged beauty, Haider
will wow you with its raw appeal."[62] On
writing for Emirates 24/7, Sneha May
Francis opined, "Haider does appear a
little over indulgent, but considering
Vishal had such a Herculean task at
hand, it's just a small price to pay for
good cinema. Shakespearean tragedy
Hamlet gets a sinfully delightful
adaptation by master filmmaker Vishal
Bhardwaj".[63] Ryan Gilbey based at New
Statesman claimed, "The idea of a
Bollywood Hamlet throws up all manner
of preconceptions. But Haider transpires
to be a far less irreverent interpretation
than, say, the 2000 US version in which
Ethan Hawke delivered the "To be or not
to be" soliloquy from the "Action" section
of Blockbuster Video. Bhardwaj relocates
the action to Kashmir in the mid-1990s. If
the graft doesn't quite take, it's because
the film is so persuasive in portraying the
oppression of the Kashmiri people that
the woes of Hamlet seem small beer."[64]

Box office
Haider collected ₹536.9 million
(US$7.8 million) from domestic screens
after its third week in theatres.[65]

India …

The film was released in nearly 3050

screens all over India where it collected
₹41.4 million (US$600,000) on its release
date (Thursday).[66] The collections
showed 14% rise pulling up collections to
₹56.3 million (US$810,000) on first Friday
and made a cumulative business of
₹97.4 million (US$1.4 million) in two days
of its release at the Indian box office.[67]
It collected ₹53.8 million (US$780,000)
on first Saturday of release.[68] In the
opening three days, the film earned
₹154.5 million (US$2.2 million).

Overseas …

Taking into account the first weekend

post its release, the film earned
US$375,000 (equivalent to $396,876 in
2018) in the US. The previews on
Thursday, a day prior to release date
were US$41,000 (equivalent to $43,392 in
2018). Collections on subsequent two
days were US$138,000 (equivalent to
$146,050 in 2018) on Friday and
US$200,000 (equivalent to $211,667 in
2018) on Saturday. In AGC areas, the film
collected US$320,000 (equivalent to
$338,667 in 2018) during first three days
of release. The collections in UK for the
same days were US$94,000 (equivalent
to $99,484 in 2018). The film churned a
cumulative $1 million in the three days,
overseas.[69]

Awards and nominations

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[1]

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