‘Maqbool’ is Vishal Bhardwaj’s Mumbai-based
adaptation of William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. Set in the Mumbai underworld, the
film revolves around Maqbool (Macbeth), the right-hand man of Jahangir Khan aka
Abba Ji (King Duncan), a powerful underworld don. The story is about his
loyalty, deceit and the eventual betrayal towards his master.
As an adaptation, the film cuts out as a terrific
interpretation of Shakespeare’s works. Terrific acting, spellbinding background
music and fine dialogue writing, make ‘Maqbool’ a must-watch. This film
announces Vishal Bhardwaj’s arrival. The director followed this attempt with
path-breaking films such as ‘Omkara’, ‘The Blue Umbrella’ and ‘Kaminey’.
Jahangir Khan/Abba Ji (Pankaj Kapoor) is an
aging gang lord, living with his mistress Nimmi (Tabu). Jahangir’s trusted
accomplices are Kaka (Piyush Mishra) and Maqbool (Irrfan Khan). Both of them
are extremely loyal to their master. Kaka’s son Guddu (Ajay Gehi), also a
member of the gang, is in love with Abba Ji’s daughter, Sameera (Masumeh
Makhija). Their marriage will make Guddu the next-in-line to become the leader
of the gang. While Maqbool never pays any attention to this eventuality, Nimmi,
who secretly loves him, incites him to wage war against Abba Ji and usurp his
position.
2 police-offers, Pandit and Purohit (Om
Puri and Naseeruddin Shah), keep appearing in between to maintain the ‘shakti
ka santulan’. The two conniving cops keep swinging sides so as to witness a
fascinating tale unfolding.
The film comprises acting powerhouses, each
one of them outshining the other. Pankaj Kapoor delivers an almost Don Vito
Corleone-type performance with his ‘Abba Ji’ act. The immense control in his
voice, the menacing look on his face and the haunting background music, adds to
the dramatic element in his character. Tabu spellbinds with her effervescent act
in the first half and that of the victimized in the second half. Irrfan Khan
delivers an astounding performance as ‘Maqbool’ and pulls off such a layered
character with ease and élan.
The supporting actors, Piyush Mishra, Om
Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Ajay Gehi and Masumeh Makhija, are stellar in their
respective roles.
The film, despite being made on a
relatively low budget in comparison to Bhardwaj’s recent films, manages to lap
up the best of everything. Apart from the terrific line-up of actors, the film also
excels in the cinematography (Hemant Chaturvedi) and Art Direction (Jayant Deshmukh).
The sequences and the locations wonderfully capture the sombre mood, inherent
within the film. The costume designing (Payal Saluja) deserves special mention.
Immaculate attention is paid to the look of the characters. Irrfan’s character
undergoes a drastic change in the film, which is well showcased by his look and
costumes. The music also plays a wonderful role in establishing and augmenting
the impact of plot points, character transformations, and critical moments in
the film. The sequence wherein Nimmi and Maqbool finally succumb to their
passions is excellently shown through shadowy visuals. The film has taken a
fair bit of inspiration from Shakespeare and Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘The
Godfather’ in equal measure. Silence has been used wonderfully in the
screenplay. The editing too, works wonders for the film. The length, at just
over 2 hours, gives us an immensely engaging film.
The real ‘hero’ of the film is the writing.
In the music department, Gulzar gives beautiful words to Bhardwaj’s creations.
For the dialogues (don’t miss Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri’s wonderful camaraderie),
Bhardwaj alone deserves all the accolades. Finally, the taut screenplay, which is
the combined effort of Bhardwaj and Abbas Tyrewala, which must surely be one of
the best interpretations of ‘Macbeth’ of all-time.
‘Maqbool’ heralds the beginning of so many
promising careers. We get to witness the powerhouse performers of the Hindi
film industry at their very best. The film, also responsible for giving Vishal
Bhardwaj’s his deserved prominence, could not justify its brilliance with its
box-office results. However, over the years, it has achieved the much-coveted ‘cult’
status. ‘Maqbool’ is a must-watch for many reasons. You’ll know them when you
watch it.
Shivom
Oza
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