| Maqbool | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Vishal Bhardwaj |
| Screenplay by | Vishal Bhardwaj Abbas Tyrewala |
| Story by | Vishal Bhardwaj Abbas Tyrewala |
| Based on | Macbeth by William Shakespeare |
| Produced by | Bobby Bedi |
| Starring | Irrfan Khan Tabu Om Puri Pankaj Kapur Naseeruddin Shah |
| Cinematography | Hemant Chaturvedi |
| Edited by | Aarif Sheikh |
| Music by | Vishal Bhardwaj |
| Distributed by | Kaleidoscope Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Yash Raj Films[1] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 132 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Maqbool is a 2003 IndianHindi-languagecrime drama film directed byVishal Bhardwaj, starringIrrfan Khan,Tabu,Pankaj Kapur,Naseeruddin Shah,Om Puri,Piyush Mishra,Murali Sharma, andMasumeh Makhija in an adaptation of the playMacbeth byShakespeare.
The plot of the film is based on that ofMacbeth with regard to events and characterisation. The film did not perform remarkably at the box office, but won director Vishal Bhardwaj international acclaim. Apart from directing it, he had also composed the background score and songs for the film. Bhardwaj then moved on to adaptingWilliam Shakespeare'sOthello in his 2006 filmOmkara which won him further critical success. He then directedHaider in 2014 adaptingHamlet, leading to what is now called hisShakespeare trilogy.[2][a]
The film had its North American premiere at the 2003Toronto International Film Festival. Though the film failed to garner much of an audience during its theatrical run in India, critics were appreciative andPankaj Kapur went on to win aFilmfare Award for Best Actor (Critics) and aNational Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film was screened in the Marché du Film section of the2004 Cannes Film Festival.[3]
The film is based on William Shakespeare'sMacbeth, with the Mumbai underworld as its backdrop. Miyan Maqbool (Irrfan Khan) is the right-hand man of Jahangir Khan (alias Abba Ji) (Pankaj Kapur), a powerfulunderworld don. Maqbool is grateful and feels a close connection and personal indebtedness to Abba Ji. Seeing their close relationship but also sensing Maqbool's ambition, two corrupt policemen (Om Puri andNaseeruddin Shah) predict that Maqbool will soon take over the reins of theMumbai Underworld from Abba Ji.
Nimmi (Tabu) is Abba Ji's mistress, but she and Maqbool are secretly in love. Nimmi encourages Maqbool's ambitions and persuades him to kill Abba Ji to take over as Don. Maqbool is torn between his love for Nimmi and his loyalty to Abba Ji, but he begins to prepare the ground for becoming a Don by ensuring that others in the line of succession cannot interfere. Finally, Maqbool murders Abba Ji in cold blood while he is in bed at night, with Nimmi next to him. Maqbool gets away with the murder and takes over as Don, just as planned, but both he and Nimmi are haunted by guilt, seeing Abba Ji's ghost and unable to wash the blood from their hands. There is also suspicion, within the gang, of Maqbool's role in the death of Abba Ji, and eventually the lovers meet a tragic end.
In addition to the portrayals of the three tragic heroes, the film offers performances by supporting cast members, in particularOm Puri andNaseeruddin Shah. The two open the film in their roles as black comic relief corrupt police inspectors-cum-astrologers, predicting the fall of Abba Ji—who has them on his payroll—and the rise and fall of Maqbool. Contrary to the original play, the corrupt cops are not just passive soothsayers. In an effort to sustain what they refer to as "balancing forces," they are also actively involved in shaping events, like aiding in providing information to Abba Ji's enforcers to wipe out a rival gang, using subtle nuances in coercing Maqbool to shift loyalties, deliberately botching an "encounter" attempt on Riyaz Boti (Macduff) and subsequently setting up an alliance between a rival politician (the incumbent one was backed by Abba Ji) and a fleeing Guddu (Fleance) and Riyaz Boti against Maqbool.
| Actor | Character in the movie | Character in the play |
|---|---|---|
| Irrfan Khan | Miyan Maqbool | Macbeth |
| Tabu | Nimmi | Lady Macbeth |
| Pankaj Kapur | Jahangir Khan (Abbaji) | Duncan I of Scotland |
| Om Puri | Inspector Rajkumar Pandit | Witch (Weird Sisters) |
| Naseeruddin Shah | Inspector R.S. Purohit | Witch (Weird Sisters) |
| Piyush Mishra | Kaka | Banquo |
| Ankur Vikal | Riyaz Boti | Macduff |
| Ajay Gehi | Guddu | Fleance |
| Masumeh Makhija | Sameera, Abbaji's daughter | Malcolm |
| Shammi Narang | Mr. Vikas Bhosle | |
| Pubali Sanyal | Riyaz Boti's wife | Lady Macduff |
| Master Raj | Riyaz Boti's son | Macduff's son |
| Gyanchand Rikhi | Mughal | Macdonwald |
| Manav Kaushik | Asif | Cawdor |
| Murali Sharma | D.C.P. Davsare | |
| Vinod Nahardri | Chinna | |
| Abbas Tyrewala | Sadiq Chikna | |
| Deepak Dobriyal | Thapa | |
| Firdaus Irani | Usmaan | |
| Vivek Mishra | Tawde | |
| Mohini Mathur | Badi bi | |
| Jaywant Wadkar | Palekar | |
| Jitendra Shrimali | Palekar's P.A. | |
| Shweta Menon | Mohini Prasad | |
| Bhupinder Sharma | Mohini's secretary | |
| Ramratan Sen | Ahmed | |
| Shankar Nihati | Kaka's murderer | |
| Dibyendu Bhattacharya | Chinna's killer | |
| Nadeem Khan | Badi bi's killer | |
| Richa Nayer | Doctor | |
| Sanjay Bhutiyani | Custom Officer | |
| Dayashankar Pandey | Masterji |
Irrfan Khan was selected to portray the lead role after attempts to signKamal Haasan,Akshay Kumar andKay Kay Menon failed.[4] In 2023, Vishal Bhardwaj revealed that the team had reached advanced discussions with Kamal Haasan, but the actor wanted the film to be a bilingual shot in Tamil and Hindi, with separate actors brought in for the Tamil version. Vishal Bharadwaj was unwilling to compromise on making the film just in Hindi, with Naseeruddin Shah also noting his reluctance to work with Kamal Haasan.[5]
Maqbool received universal critical acclaim.Rediff described the film as "a visual gallery that is an intelligent blend of dark, tragic overtones and comic, satirical undertones".[6]Variety wrote that while the visuals are great, audiences might need an understanding of Macbeth to fully enjoy the film.[7]India Today described it as a "haunting operatic tragedy".[8]Outlook said that it "effectively transported the essence of the story to the milieu of the Bombay underworld of our times".[9]Deccan Herald described the film as "Brooding, tragic and brilliant. 'Maqbool' with its satrical [sic] undertones is cinema at its best".[10]
| Maqbool | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | 2004 |
| Recorded | Nirvana Studio |
| Genre | Film soundtrack |
| Label | Music Today |
The soundtrack features eleven songs composed byVishal Bhardwaj with lyrics byGulzar.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ru-Ba-Ru" (performed byDaler Mehndi, Rakesh Pandit, Sabir Khan, Dominique) | 5:53 |
| 2. | "Jhin Min Jhini" (performed bySadhana Sargam,Ustad Sultan Khan,Anuradha Sriram, Rakesh Pandit) | 5:32 |
| 3. | "Rone Do" (performed byRekha Bhardwaj) | 5:02 |
| 4. | "Dheemo Re" (performed byUstad Sultan Khan) | 3:18 |
| 5. | "Maqbool Theme" (instrumental) | 1:34 |
| 6. | "Rukhe Naina" (performed bySanjeev Abhyankar) | 5:14 |
| 7. | "Chingari" (performed byRekha Bhardwaj) | 4:26 |
| 8. | "Rin Din Din" (instrumental) | 1:36 |
| 9. | "Nirvana" (instrumental) | 1:53 |
| 10. | "Shoonya" (instrumental) | 1:58 |
| 11. | "Jhin Min Jhini (extended)" (performed bySadhana Sargam,Ustad Sultan Khan,Anuradha Sriram, Rakesh Pandit) | 6:24 |
Mendes, AC. “Transculturating Shakespeare: Vishal Bhardwaj’s Mumbai Macbeth”, Casie Hermansson and Janet Zepernick (eds.),Where is Adaptation? Mapping cultures, texts, and contexts. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 165–180.ISBN 9789027201492