Reimagining Shakespeare: A Journey through Vishal Bhardwaj's Trilogy

Reimagining Shakespeare: A Journey Through Vishal Bhardwaj’s Trilogy critically examines Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool (2004), Omkara (2006), and Haider (2014), cinematic adaptations of Macbeth, Othello, and Hamlet, respectively. This thesis seeks to provide a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of Bhardwaj’s adaptation process, examining the Shakespearean interpretation in Indian narratives. The study investigates how Bhardwaj identifies and adapts parallels from Shakespeare's plays to resonate with contemporary Indian society, culture, and regional settings. By aligning Shakespeare’s characters with Indian-specific socio-political contexts, Bhardwaj crafts narratives that are both faithful to the spirit of the originals and deeply rooted in their new milieu. The thesis further explores the interconnections within Bhardwaj’s trilogy, analysing how the films achieve cohesion through recurring thematic motifs and stylistic devices, thus forming a unified cinematic work. The research also scrutinises Bhardwaj’s positioning within the Bombay film industry, interrogating whether his adaptations adhere to or subvert conventional Bollywood tropes and stereotypes. This investigation helps situate the trilogy within the broader framework of Hindi cinema. Moreover, the study contextualises Bhardwaj’s works within the global corpus of Shakespearean adaptations, highlighting the inspirations and influences that connect his trilogy to other adaptations. Ultimately, this study focuses on Bhardwaj’s deployment of layered adaptation techniques to reimagine Shakespeare’s plays for an Indian audience. This involves examining how Bhardwaj transforms the source texts by modifying monologues, interpolating scenes, reconfiguring characters as mythic figures, and incorporating culturally specific elements such as regional dialects, traditional clothing, and indigenous music. The research thus contributes significantly to the fields of Shakespeare and Performance Studies, Adaptation Studies, and Film Studies. As it situates Bhardwaj’s trilogy within the broader discourse of non-Anglophone and transcultural Shakespearean adaptations, it underscores the global malleability of Shakespeare’s works while shedding light on their unique reinterpretation in Hindi cinema. The thesis enriches existing scholarship by demonstrating how Bhardwaj’s films function as modern retellings.<p></p>

Author dc:creator

• P Singh (4528219)

• Asian Shakespeares
• Bhardwaj Trilogy
• Hindi Cinema
• Indian Shakespeares
• Non-Anglophone Shakespeares
• Shakespeare Adaptations
• Shakespeare on Screen
• Transcultural Adaptations

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved
• Open Access after 2028-01-16

Identifier

10871/141300

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/29844623