Haider and Kaminey - Two Contradictions.

Vishal Bhardwaj’s take on two of his films – Kaminey and Haider. Haider is a 2014 Indian film based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Kaminey is a 2009 crime drama film both of which starred Shahid Kapoor in the lead role. Amidst Haider and Kaminey he made a couple of other films which din’t see their success at the box office yet were critically acclaimed. Vishal Bhardwaj is considered one of the most brilliant directors in the current times because of his approach to films. His tactics of filmmaking stand as a great deal to the would-be filmmakers. Vishal Bhardwaj’s ideology in filmmaking is clearly seen when he makes intense hardcore dramas which say a lot more than what a conventional filmmaker says.

Kaminey is about two twins who choose different paths in their lives as time goes by. One becomes a thug while the other stands as a stuttering weakling. Both of their lives are jeopardized when they face a problem and the film moves forward as they realize that they only have each other to watch their back. Mumbai underworld mafia has never been an old subject to Indian cinema. Kaminey is one of those prominent films which deals with gangsters and their inner lives alongside other inordinate films such as Satya, Company, Black Friday. The success of the film Kaminey saw Vishal in his role as an excellent storyteller. Today, Kaminey is considered one of the best neo noir films.

The elements that lack in Kaminey are unquestionably seen in Haider especially in terms of the depth of the film’s storyline. Haider is easily one of the best visually gripping films that came out recently. The performances from Tabu, Irrfan Khan, Kay Kay Menon including and especially Shahid Kapoor make the film what it is. The film seems so silent but speaks very strongly when it has to speak and makes the right point which satisfies us in every way. Both Kaminey and Haider are visually engaging but in Kaminey, the one thing that holds back is the depth in the script. When you watch the film, it seems to be multi-layered with many characters and their specific characteristics but the film is a definite straight narrative with interlaced characters who reveal their attitudes towards their business as the film moves forward.

The comparison between Haider and Kaminey stands as a huge contradiction because the approach of the director towards both the films is unbelievably out of the box. Haider has a very strong point of showing people the consequences of an inner conflict that a character faces and the ultimate result that brings out the realization. The subsequent decision of that realization affects everyone in a way. Haider is comparatively very slow in narrative with limited dialogues where the expressions of the actors speak more. In this case, the director has succeeded in achieving such kind of performances from the actors. The adaptation is very subtly made so that it is relevant to the current world. The film is set in such a space where everything that a person does is questionable by the authorities.

'Haider' learns of a bitter truth which holds the tension for the first half of the film and subsequently goes on a vengeance mission. 

The film is very hard to imagine without the brilliance of the cinematographer, Pankaj Kumar, where the compensation of the narrative comes from the cinematography and as a result, the audiences never get bored. The background score is one central aspect that makes the audiences excited every now and then contributing to the film narrative making it an appealing one.

On the other hand, Kaminey has a firm riveting narrative with haunting background score and never-seen-before performance from Shahid Kapoor. A simple fact is that films like Haider and Kaminey are not everyday pictures that we get to see in the Indian cinema industry and same thing goes to the director, he makes films with tough protagonists who are always in the middle of a conflict. Vishal Bhardwaj's touch to the mafia genre and the deep intense dramas made them the finest films with definite meaning. Both these films are a must watch in understanding the director’s flexibility and his dynamic quality job of directing.