Shakespeare lives! Seldom if ever, has a Shakespearean tragedy been given such a magnificent treatment in cinema of any language. Sure, the narrative is fractured and fatally flawed at times, but like the hero's villainous uncle, who lies limbless writhing in pain in the Kashmiri snow pleading for death at the end, the narrative dares you to end the pain of a people who wear their brutal existence on their sleeves. Haider is a beast that just won't be tamed by regular cinematic definitions. There is flamboyance and subtlety, both at once in the treatment. Elegance and earthiness rub shoulders in the execution of what is regarded as one of Shakespeare's most complex tragedies.

<strong>Haider Hamlet Harakiri</strong><br/> Haider is an adaptation of Hamlet and the final film of Vishal Bhardwaj's Shakespearean trilogy. It is the story of a Kashmiri student who's doctor father "disappears", which is a euphemism for the authorities picking up people they believe have information about militants. It's a tragic drama which revolves around a troubled Haider wondering how he can avenge his father's disappearance or even supposed death.

<strong>Shahid, Tabu, Irrfan in a powerful film about Kashmiri insurgency</strong><br/> Stars are the damnedest things. They're what make producers cough up the cash to make a film. They convince audiences to buy tickets. And yet, more often than not, they add so little to a film's quality. Haider, Vishal Bharadwaj's adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, is an example of this. It's a powerful film about lives that have been unravelled and twisted out of shape by the political turmoil that has dogged Kashmir for decades, and the actors that are supposed to be Haider's greatest strength add almost nothing to it. Despite them, Bharadwaj has made one of the finest political films we've seen come out of Bollywood.

What's Good: Only Bhardwaj could have thought of giving Hamlet the tinge of poetry and yet ironically set it in a troubled Kashmir. There is a keenness in the way he handles the subject. From Peer's judgement of Kashmir in 1995 to the performances Bhardwaj extracts from his cast, it's all exquisitely done, beyond words can express. What's Bad: There are very few times I will ever say it, and this is one of them, there's no flaw per say in the film. Yes, the detailing could have been better done but Bharadwaj keeps it subtle, vulnerable, engaging and bubbling with an array of emotions all through.

Review: So, Haider is a brilliant adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet where a new character - Kashmir - joins the drama's kings and queens. Vishal Bhardwaj's Kashmir isn't shikaras and Shammi Kapoor though. Set in 1995, amidst militancy and martial rule, this Kashmir is gray smoke and brown trees, frozen waters and fires glowing angrily on a lake.

<strong>Shahid Kapoor has a couple of break-out moments</strong><br/> Vishal Bharadwaj's third Shakespearean adaptation,` Haider' urf `Hamlet' is a spectacular looking film, each little detail of set and setting perfect. Where it falters is in telling the story it sets out to : the result is a gorgeous but choppy film that you cannot take your eyes off for fear of losing another exquisite piece of detailing; it is also one that fails to fully keep you with it.

<strong>Haider may be Vishal Bhardwaj's best film</strong><br/> Something is rotten in the state two countries call their own. Not that we've really let that show on screen. Hindi cinema hasn't looked into Kashmir, preferring to gaze at it instead.

<strong>Haider is deeply stirring</strong><br/> There is much in Haider that deserves a standing ovation. Let's start with the courage of director Vishal Bhardwaj. Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's most difficult and ambiguous texts. It's also his longest- it takes over four hours to deliver. Hamlet in itself is a beast to be tamed. Vishal and his co-writer, the acclaimed Kashmiri journalist Basharat Peer, transplant the play to Kashmir. It plays out against a socio-political tragedy that has been wrought over six decades and that has a Rashomon-like quality to it - the heroes and villains switch places, depending on the narrator.

<strong>Shahid, Tabu mesmerise in Vishal Bharadwaj's best movie so far</strong><br/> Vishal Bhardwaj's brand of cinema is possibly the furthest thing from Salman Khan in the commercial Indian filmscape, but the superstar is a recurring element in Bharadwaj's latest film, Haider. Set in Kashmir, in 1995, a pre-steroid Khan is the inspiration here for two characters - both named Salman - who are introduced to us in a hilarious, almost surreal sequence where they're attempting to copy the star's mannerisms as a song from one of his movies plays on a VCR. One of them even nails Khan's tendency to blow at unruly strands of his long hair, back when the actor had long hair.