William Shakespeare’s Macbeth to Vishal Bharadwaj’s Maqbool:
A case study on adaptations in contemporary Indian Cinema
Noopur Jha
Lecturer
Arunabh Banerjee
Lecturer & Assistant Manager (Corp.Com)
University of Petroleum & Energy Studies
Dehradun
India
Abstract:
Shakespearean tragedies have been a perennial source of inspiration for all filmmakers across the
world. While some attempt transpose the text exactly and recreate the period on screen, others
like Vishal Bharadwaj have their own ways of mixing and matching. This paper will be based on
the in depth analysis of the feature Maqbool, which is loosely based on the Shakespearean
tragedy of Macbeth. The plot, context and the characters of the film will be analyzed and
compared with the original text of the play Macbeth to mark out the similarities and the
differences. But the major attempt of the authors is to appreciate the craftsmanship of the director
and not to critically analyze it.
Keywords: Vishal Bharadwaj, Adaptations, Contemporary Indian Cinema, Characters, Context,
Shakespearean play, Macbeth, Maqbool.
INTRODUCTION
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After a century of cinema, movies have changed substantially, both technologically and
stylistically, but after a hundred years, mainstream cinema is still telling and retelling stories,
and most of those stories are still being (or have been) appropriated from literary or dramatic
sources, as much as 85 per-cent by some calculations and accounts. Adaptation has always been
central to the process of filmmaking since almost the beginning and could well maintain its
dominance into the cinema’s second century (Welsh & Peter, 2007) [1].
The term adaptation itself states that getting into the skin of the work or getting the fundamental
idea that the written piece of work tries to present. When adapting a story the essence of the story
is woven into the very treatment of the film. There is no clear way of defining how to conceive
an adaptation or how to address the contextual problem that occurs during scripting the film
(Shepherd, 2009) [7]. One basic issue that happens with adaptation in contemporary themes is
how much can be changed from the actual text and fabric of the story keeping the sublime idea
of the novel intact. Some changes are inevitable, like the geographical change, social structure,
the time of work, etc. They will have some effect on the quality of the work (Mohsin &
Takseen,2015) [6]. Another aspect is the length of the film. Since film is a time bound medium
many a times some aspects of the written text are not included in the script. This certainly affects
the quality of the work (Mohsin & Takseen,2015) [6].
About Vishal bharadwaj
Indian film industry, especially the Bombay Film Industry or better known as Bollywood is the
largest film industry as per the total number of films made by it in a single year (McCarthy,
2014) [2]. It produces films in variety of genre, like action, comedy, romantic, satire, etc. Among
these various types, adaptation films are also seen now and then in the industry and Vishal
Bhardwaj is one of the prominent names in that genre. Post 2000, if one considers the film
reviews made by the various film critics and the media agencies, it can be certainly inferred that
Vishal Bhardwaj is one director who makes the most out of the adaptation films (New York
Indian Film Festival [NYIFF], 2014) [3]. Vishal Bhardwaj had been making film adaptation of
classic short stories or novels on regular intervals. Though he is established as a film maker
today, Vishal Bhardwaj started his film career as a music director. He recorded his composition
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in the year 1984 but his success as a music composer came much later with films like Machis in
1996, Chachi 420 in 1997 and Satya in 1998 (Singh, 2015) [4].
It was in 2002, Vishal Bhardwaj made his first film Makdee or Web of the Witch a children
comedy horror film. His debut film made waves and was screed at the Cannes film festival under
the Spotlight of India segment (Indiatimes Movies, 2002) [5]. According to an interview
published in Hindustan times on December 25th, 2015, becoming a filmmaker came as a need
more that as a choice. Vishal states, “The speed with which I got success, it left me as quickly.
After Maachis (1996), I worked on Chachi 420 (1997) and Satya (1998), as a composer. At the
same time, because I used to argue a lot with the directors, people started thinking that I’m
arrogant. The next two-three years were bad. That time, I realized that if I don’t do anything
else, I will be back to where I was. One day, Gulzar saab told me that I can be a good director. I
still don’t know why he said that.” (Singh, 2015) [4]. But what started as need, made him one of
the finest film maker of the country.
Soon Vishal was busy making his first adaptation i.e. Shakespeare’ Macbeth in a gangster based
film named “Maqbool”. Vishal accidentally came across an abridged version of Macbeth and
connected the basic central theme of ambition and guilt to a contemporary gangster plot. Though
the film was not a great commercial success but it was critically appreciated and ushered a new
way of adaptation film in contemporary Indian cinema. Further Bhardwaj made two more films
based on the Shakespeare’s work. Othello was made into “Omkara” in 2006 was a critical and
commercial success and in 2014 “Haider” was released based on Hamlet completing the
Shakespeare trilogy. With the acclaim that these films recived Vishal Bhardwaj redefined the
way art of cinematic adaptations and made him a kind of authority on Shakespeare work [4] [6].
Not just Shakespeare, Vishal has also made adaptation films on Ruskin Bond’s works. He made
The Blue Umbrella in 2007 and 7Khoon Maaf in 2011 based on Bond’s The Blue Umbrella and
Susanna’s Seven Husbands respectively.
FINDINGS & DISCUSSION:
For the purpose of this study, the adaption can be compared with the text under three broad
categories
Plot
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
Characters

Context
Under each category there would be analogies as well as differences between the text and the
film. The objective remains, however, to appreciate each of the art form for its craftsmanship and
uniqueness.
PLOT
The plot of Macbeth is set in the Elizabethan age displaying aristocracy of Scotland. The story
revolves around treachery of a valiant general Macbeth who became a victim of his ambitions.
Although an honest kinsmen initially, Macbeth met three Witch sisters on his way back from a
battle. The witches’ prophesized that he would be honored with the Thane of Cawdor and Glamis
adding that he would one day become the king himself. The prophecies meddled with his naïve
self, gave him a hope that he might actually become king one day. Macbeth meets the criterion
of a Shakespearean tragic hero. There is a school of thought in Literature which argues that the
defeat of Macbeth was his own doing. Although he had people around him who were influencing
him but he took the final call. He murdered the king of Scotland (Duncan), for Macbeth wanted
to become the King himself, an ambition short lived.
Maqbool on the other hand is set in the backdrop of Mumbai underworld with a Mafia Jahangir
Khan replacing the King of Scotland Duncan and Maqbool playing his right hand (instead of a
General in the army). Maqbool remains a close confidante of Jahangir initially. The witch sisters
are replaced by the corrupt inspectors in the film. It was the astrological prediction of the
inspectors that led Maqbool to believe that he could one day take over Jahangir Khan.
The switch from Scottish aristocracy to underworld mafia of Mumbai could be attributed to the
contexts in which the play and the film are based. Variety wrote that while the visuals are great,
audiences might need an understanding of Macbeth to fully enjoy the film (Elley, 2003).i[1]
Whereas Macbeth was composed by Shakespeare around 1600s when aristocracy was prevalent
in Scotland, Maqbool was made much later in the 2003 in India. Creating a period drama is one
thing, but creating one with a different context altogether is a gamble; reason being, the limited
understanding of the audience of the culture of Elizabethan age and the aristocratic gestures and
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symbols. The easier and safer way for the director remains to customize the context so that
majority of the audience could relate with it. Outlook said that it (Maqbool) "effectively
transported the essence of the story to the milieu of the Bombay underworld of our times" (Jain,
2004).ii[2]
ANALOGY & DIFFERENCES:
Major similarity between the text and film remains ambition leading to the fall of the hero.
Typical of Shakespearean tragedies, the hero, in both places, becomes a victim of his ambitionan ambition which was instilled in him by the prophecy of witches and soothsayers. In the film,
the witch sisters of Macbeth are replaced by corrupt police officers who predict the future using
astrology.
A little difference in the themes of the play and the film could be the motive behind the murder.
For Macbeth, it was purely ambition and the instigation of his wife to murder the king. The
prophecies of the witch sisters for Macbeth to be crowned the king one day were taken pretty
seriously by his wife. Lady Macbeth exhibited a very strong and overwhelming desire to get the
throne after listening to the prophecies and seeing that few of the prophecies had actually come
true. An ambition and desire of this kind was very unlikely of the women of her times, quoting
her‘Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts. Take all my femininity away and fill me from the
crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood, stop me from feeling pity so that
no natural feelings can get in the way.’ (King 1980) iii[10]
In order so that nothing came in the way of the conspiracy they hatched, she instigated her
husband to give up his kindness and humanity as she had given up her own.
Contrary to this, for Maqbool, the motive behind the murder was majorly romantic. The love
interest of Maqbool and Jahangir Khan was the same- Nimmi. So the instigating factor here was
to win the lady and subsequently the empire. Basically, the power and position of Jahangir Khan
was but a bonus for Maqbool, and not the aim. While Macbeth could clearly be called the story
of ambition leading to misery of a hero, Maqbool is a love story with a very sad ending.
Macbeth, the play, starts with unrest in Scotland because of the treason of a few disloyal generals
of King Duncan. Rectification of the unrest is brought about by Macbeth and Banquo who are
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seen in heroic images. It is after listening to the prophecies of the witches that the negative tone
sets in as Macbeth begins to hatch a conspiracy to get the throne. Basically the prophecy is what
balances the tone of the play from a total white and a total black to a gray shade. A
Shakespearean play has a crisis that arises sometime after the beginning and resolves towards the
end. But here the play begins with jubilation and then later the crisis develops which ends with
the death of the hero.
Maqbool, based on Mumbai’s underworld, has a negative tone from the very beginning. Unrest,
however, starts when an honest police officer (ACP Devsare) sets in to undo the wrong. The film
portrays a situation where lawlessness becomes the law accepted by and large. There are
stabilizing forces in the plot- the corrupt inspectors. They help the plot of the film in moving
towards a crisis situation. Additionally, they also act as a balancing force between lawlessness
and the law acting and counteracting, neutrally without actively taking sides as the crisis
develops.
CONTEXT:
Talk about the contextual difference between Macbeth and Maqbool, the gap is huge. Both the
contexts are mostly fictitious, or maybe partly based on fact. Macbeth was a real 11th Century
King. But the Thane of Glamis as the play mentions didn’t exist. It is noteworthy, that there was
a real Duncan, King of Scotland, but he didn’t hold the kind of charisma as King Duncan in the
play does. He was weak, fragile and didn’t hold much respect of his peers. Additionally,
Macbeth was succeeded by his own sons in real life, and not by Banquo’s. In fact, there is no
evidence about the existence of Banquo [11].
Maqbool on the other hand is although inspired by the Mumbai Underworld, but there is no
legitimate factual congruence with reality. The switch from Jacobean aristocracy to a Mumbai
Mafia has been applauded (Jain, 2004) iv[12]. What is similar in both the contexts is the way the
negative tone has been maintained throughout, a mark of Jacobean period as well as the signature
of Vishal Bharadwaj as an auteur.
CONTEXTUALIZING THE PROPHECIES:
A significant amount of attention has been paid by the director in contextualizing the prophecies
of the play into the movie. The prophecies of the witch sisters play a major role in the plot of the
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play. The witches have been replaced by the corrupt policemen, who are also avid astrologers.
Likewise, the prophecies are in the form of astrological predictions in the movie.
The gradual promotion of Maqbool from a blood rider of Jahangir to owning the kingdom
himself – sums up the astrological predictions before the tragedy sets in i.e. the murder of
Jahangir Khan. A similar rise of the character of Macbeth was seen in the play, where he was
promoted to the Thane of Cawdor before he assassinated Duncan, the king of Scotland.v[13]
In the second half of the plot, Macbeth is told to beware of Macduff and the Forest of Birnam
which collectively is the reason why Macbeth dies. Similarly, Maqbool is avenged by Riyaz Boti
(the corresponding character of Macduff, whose wife and children were butchered by Macbeth).
CHARACTERS:
Vishal Bharadwaj as an auteur has taken full liberty with the context as well as the characters of
Maqbool. The major characters remain the same except for some of their associations; for
instance, the witches are replaced by the corrupt policemen duo.vi[14] Upon close observation,
one can see that the policemen (played by Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri) are not completely
negative in character as against the witches who actually had evil motives (King, 1980) vii[15].
They have an important role to play in the ‘balance of power’ in the entire plot.
In Macbeth, the character of Duncan is positive and his assassination is tragic; it’s a crime for
which the Lady Macbeth summons evil forces. But the mafia in Maqbool (Jahangir Khan) is
shady himself. He is into contract killings, housing scams and is also suspected to have killed his
own Godfather treacherously. So his death is not taken as negatively as Duncan’s. Although
Maqbool feels the guilt of killing his Godfather in cold blood, taking over Jahangir’s kingdom as
well as mistress (the love interest of Maqbool).
A major deviation in the characters can be traced in the role of Lady Macbeth, portrayed by
Nimmi (played by Tabu on screen) in Maqbool. While Lady Macbeth is the lawful wife of
Macbeth, Nimmi plays Jahangir’s mistress and secretly has an affair with Maqbool. The
dynamics of the character of Nimmi is an instrumental factor in the plot of the movie. It is
because of her that the otherwise heroic tragedy Macbeth turns into a story of failed love and
ambition.
The bloodline of Banquo is prophesized to rule by the witches; but they are not shown in any
major light in the play. It is assumed that Banquo’s sons later descend the throne. In the movie
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however, the corresponding role is played by Guddu (played by Anuj Gehi), and this character is
stronger than any other character in the entire plot of the movie. It is assumed from the very
beginning in the film that Guddu will be the successor of Jahangir Khan once he marries
Jahangir’s daughter. This is one of the major factors behind the conspiracy that Nimmi and
Maqbool hatch for the murder of Jahangir Khan. The other characters like Macduff, his wife and
children, the Thane of Glamis, and many other small but significant characters of the play have
been given screen space in the movie.
CONCLUSION:
The uniqueness of the craftsmanship of Vishal Bharadwaj is that he contextualizes the play with
some or the other Indian version of the tragedy. The transposition is remarkable. Not just
Maqbool, but the other movies too. For instance, the way he Indianised Hamlet by associating it
with the Kashmir crisis; or the plot of Othello against the backdrop of corrupt political system in
UttarPradesh. His auteurship lies in the way he merged the Shakespearen play into Indian
politico-social problems that the audience can relate with. In the words of Naseeruddin Shah
(who plays an important role in Maqbool)“I think he makes interesting films, even though I haven’t liked all his works. But even his poor
work is more interesting than a lot of people’s so-called good work.”viii (Roy, 2015) [16]
Further research can be done to identify the signature style of Vishal Bharadwaj in making
adaptations. His identity and intellectual creativity can be an interesting area of study for the
future researchers in film studies and craftsmanship.
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