Maqbool
2003 · Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj
Original language: Hindi
- crime
- drama
The story
The Scottish tragedy 'Macbeth' set in the contemporary underworld of India's commercial capital; two corrupt, fortune telling policemen take the roles of the weird sisters, and "Duncan" is Abbaji, the head of a crime family.
What it’s like
Murky, sweat-damp Bombay nights, with sodium-orange streetlight spilling through monsoon haze and tight, claustrophobic interiors lit by single bare bulbs and flickering television glow. The camera stays close and restless, with handheld unease in the bars and dance floors and slow, deliberate framing in the rooms where plots get hatched. Sound leans on a pulsing, percussive score and bursts of Hindi film songs that cut against the menace, with long stretches of ambient street noise and rain filling the quiet. The vibe is feverish, paranoid and operatic, a Shakespearean rot working its way through a crime family, and the mood builds steadily toward a bloody, fatalistic finish. Violence is frequent and close-range, with gunfire and knife work shown without much restraint, and the sexual content is brief and charged rather than explicit. The rhythm is taut and escalating, with unsettling calm alternating with sudden outbursts. It suits viewers who enjoy grim, stylish crime drama, Shakespeare reimagined in a gritty setting, and performances that carry more weight than the spectacle.
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