Magneto's Movies
Reel Reviews
Movie: Maqbool
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Cast: Irrfan Khan as Miyan Maqbool, Tabu as Nimmi, Pankaj Kapur as Jahangir Khan/Abbaji, Piyush Mishra as Kaka, Ankur Vikal as Riyaz Boti, Ajay Gehi as Guddu, Masumeh Makhija as Sameera Khan, Shammi Narang as Mr. Bhosle with Naseeruddin Shah as Inspector Purohit and Om Puri as Inspector Pandit
Genre: Crime/Drama
Score: 9.0/10
Pros:-A near perfect
brooding look into Shakespeare's tragic Macbeth with dominating themes of sin,
lust, greed, power and family
-The dialogues are well engaged in
the culture of the characters and the sub text of the meanings of each plot
point and motivations
-Bhardwaj and Tyrewala make
commendable changes to the play that help add depth and weight to the film
plot. The change of Nimmi (Lady Macbeth) being Abbaji's (Duncan) mistress gives
way for more layers to characters
-As equal as Macbeth, Maqbool is
unsatisfied with his impotency and is a character eventually arrogant but
drowned by his guilt. The complexities create for a compelling arc.
-Lady Macbeth is equally well adapted
into Nimmi. The extension of Abbaji's role allows him to be a much more fleshed
out character than Duncan as a ruthless and respected man that helps juxtapose
between him and Maqbool
-Bhardwaj adapts the play into a
criminal element with gutso. He adds his own commentary through the relations
of his characters and the changes to their stances from a female Malcolm to a
feisty Fleance and two cops for the Witches
-The camera dives into the darkness
of the world but more importantly its protagonists actions. It works best when
tying itself to the riveting pace of Maqbool's guilty conscious.
-Irrfan Khan is sensational as
Maqbool, capturing his insecurities and his prowess with aplomb. He works his
eyes magnificently in the damning moments of silence. Tabu matches him as she
revels in Nimmi's sexuality, seductiveness, evil and wrenches your heart with
her deep despair, regret and eventual madness. Their chemistry is electric.
-The showstopper though is Pankaj
Kapur. With more time in his hands, he presents the aura that drives Abbaji to
be the central figure of pursuit and respect in this game. He has a brilliant
command over the language and a skillful delivery.
-The supporting cast is mostly
effective especially Shah, Mishra and Puri
-The score equally chilling as it is
thrilling, while profoundly conveying the dread in both the loud moments with
drums and the silences
-Music is well versed in the cultural
origins and the backgrounds of its characters...
Cons:-While it
adapts its source perfectly in the second half, the setup has been so brilliant
that the film sinks once Kapur is off screen. This is due to the unraveling of
the play rather than the other actors
-The crime and political element
have trappings of clichés due to the commentary the writers try to make
-The film runs overlong and could
have done with some better editing to bring a certain dynamic to sparklingly
written and visualized scenes while cutting parts that disrupt the flow.
-Masume is too over the top with her
expressions and really takes you out of certain scenes where we are to
sympathize with her plight where as Gehi despite given the scope with Fleance
lacks in matching the intensity necessary
-...yet none of the songs are
particularly memorable and some are clearly unnecessary to the situation
Best Scene: Maqbool carries out his plan to murder Abbaji amidst his breaking mind and ominous weather. Killing Abbaji, he sees his former father figure die while staring at him as an accusation towards Maqbool, of his crimes
Best Performance: Pankaj Kapur as Jahangir Khan/Abbaji
Best Dialogue: 'Aag ke liye paani ka dar bane rehna chahiye'-Purohit and Pandit, (The fear of water must always be there for the fire)
Here's my first review for Vishal Bhardwaj's sensational Shakespeare trilogy, this his adaptation of the tragedy of Macbeth
