Maqbool – Macbeth & mistress

1. Maqbool is a 2003 Hindi movie directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and is the adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
2. Maqbool ( Irrfan Khan) is the son of Jahangir (Pankaj Kapur), a don. Nimmi ( Tabu), Jahangir’s young mistress brainwashes Maqbool to kill his father so that he could take the throne and they could live happily after. Maqbool kills his father and blames it on Jahangir’s henchman who gets killed by Nimmi as planned. After Jahangir’s death, Maqbool takes his father’s throne but the partners are not happy with it. The partners also suspect Maqbool of killing his father. This creates a war between the groups leading to violence and killings. By the end, Nimmi starts hallucinating about the murder day and she loses her mental stability and dies. Later, Maqbool is shot dead by his rivals.
3. This movie is adapted from William Shakespeare’s novel – Macbeth. The story is really intriguing and can be connected with the politics of today, the power-hungry people who go against their families.
4. The direction could have been better, as I found the scenes to be moving too fast and not kind of attached to the previous ones. Basically, there was a glitch in the flow of the movie.
5. The acting by the cast was really outstanding, with some of the best actors in Indian Cinema being included. Pankaj Kapur even won the National film award in the Best supporting actor category.
6. The movie has highlighted the combination of good cops and bad cops in society. The bad cops who support bad guys of the society for both of their benefits. But, it is the good cops who turn winners in the end after struggles and sacrifices.
7. The director was surely able to connect Mumbai’s underworld stories to Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The underworld stories and their dons are famous around India and have been portrayed in many of the best Hindi movies.
8.  The mistress of the movie is the main catalyst in this whole story. She was able to create the foundation for the war that destroyed families and human lives. The mistress can be compared to the partial Media channels of today who are inciting hatred among communities, just as their leaders want to.
9. A critically acclaimed movie but a box-office disappointment.
10. A must watch one and I give 7.5/10.