There used to be an advertisement where one saw a famous wicket keeper of the Indian team bowling with full vigor and the scene ending with the catch line, 'You never know what you can become.' The line has always been an inspiration for the few who dare to be different in their approach. Vishal Bhardwaj incarnates these lines verbatim in Bollywood. He landed in the film industry from the crowded streets of Delhi to become a music director. He did some great films with eminent persons like Gulzar and Ram Gopal Verma. However, everyone thought that his rustic approach to music and his plain soul might not meet the requirements of the too demanding film industry. So, he turned in a totally new avatar in 'Makdee', by daring to be a producer and director. Even then not many took him seriously as everyone thought that making a children film is no big thing. Now, he is in yet another avatar in 'Maqbool', to prove his mettle. Besides, his entering into direction is not just for his survival. In fact, it's to prove that he knows cinema better than those who sought from him to compose odd songs in their films, which Vishal declined to do. 'Maqbool' is an Indianised version of Shakespeare's Macbeth in a different time and space. There have been many stage presentations of this play around the world. Some films have also been made but not in Indian context. 'Maqbool' is a path setter in many ways and is a winner in terms of its presentation and style.
Good men have always ruled Bollywood. Not many directors dare make films. Hardly have there been films, which are titled after a villain's name. So let the reels unreel this classic cult film in 'Maqbool'. The film starts with a scene where two corrupt cops make prophecies, which come out true. Enter Abbaji (Pankaj Kapur). He is a don of Indian underworld. He rules the atmosphere around him in his unique style. He also has a mistress like other goons of Hindi films, Nimmi (Tabu). She is young and has a sensuous body to attract any one to love her. However, Maqbool (Irfan Khan) resists this temptation with his will power and the devotion to Abbaji.
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Maqbool is true protégé to Abbaji. He will do anything on his command and Nimmi will go to any extent to bring Maqbool in her embrace. Abbaji is fighting a war for his dominance. Maqbool thinks that he is being sidelined in the entire happening for no reason. So he takes things in his own hand. Here again the two police officers -- Pandit and Purohit (Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah) enter. They predict that Maqbool will lose the battle of the power (as were the prophecies of witches in Macbeth). There are gritty scenes that remind us of Sorcerer's movies as in Macbeth. The blood battle also has its parallel drawn from 'Tarantino'.
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There is a noteworthy scene. Nimmi with moist eyes and full satisfaction of attaining womanhood tells Maqbool that she is pregnant. And Maqbool remarks that she hasn't slept with Abbaji since ages though with quite an ease. This leads to the reflection of a horror on Nimmi's face. This indicates that a director is born in Bollywood. Vishal Bhardwaj has arrived with 'Maqbool' after having bagged films from producers of the likes of Shekhar Kapoor. This is wroth waiting for more from Bhardwaj.
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'Maqbool' is a masterpiece on many accounts. First, it defies the set formulae of Bollywood of a hero and a heroine falling in love and making rounds of trees with dozens of other dancers. It also doesn't have a battle between the good and the bad. It is a film where the bad meets the worse. The heroine is not an ideology bearer. She doesn't suppress her desires. The film also walks on the rough patches of denial. It talks of denial of power, denial of desires and denial of supremacy. Every character fights against these denials with a desire to mend the life in his or her own way. The fight is for self and not for society, and this very approach makes this film look realistic and very contemporary though the basic idea of the film (Macbeth) is centuries' old.
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In 'Maqbool', Vishal Bhardwaj has dared do something different once again and also with success. His hold on the film's narration is impressive in every scene, and it is he who commands the goings from behind the screen and the not the other way. But it will be injustice if we forget the character portrayal of all the three main artistes in the film. If it were heartening to see a talented actor like Pankaj Kapur back on the big screen after a long time, it was more pleasing to watch his performance moving ahead of time. Last time he was seen in the crucial role of a Hindi film 'Roja'. Can some one cast this talented actor and his son Shahid together before it's too late? Tabu as Nimmi is, indeed, wonderful. Her body language and the way with which she emotes her desires are beyond comparison. On one hand, she tries to pose herself as true courtesan of Abbaji, and on the other, she acts excellently while expressing fulfillment of attaining womanhood. And, what to say about Irfan Pathan? Voted as the best villain of last year, Irfan has been moving ahead with not each and every film but with his every single scene that he enacts on screen. 'Maqbool' will be liked by all patrons of good cinema and will do good business in multiplexes. However, the movie might not have much to rejoice when it comes to small territories and towns.
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