INDIAN ADAPTATION OF SHAKESPARE IN POPULAR CULTURE: A CASE STUDY OF MACBETH AND OTHELLO
Sheeraz Ahmad Naik
Research Scholar, Department of English, Bhagwant University, Ajmer, (Rajasthan) Dr. Suresh Kumar, (Supervisor).
Abstract- Shakespearean plays serve as examples of both successful and unsuccessful human reactions to order. These images are really effectively captured and presented in Bollywood. This essay makes an attempt to analyze the Shakespearean adaption to Indian popular culture. It examines the extent to which Shakespeare has permeated the Indian psyche. The focus of the work is on the most recent two Shakespearean adaptations in Indian cinema: the 2004 release of Vishal Bhardwaj's Maqbool (based on Shakespeare's Macbeth adaptation), the 2006 release of Omkara (based on Shakespeare's Othello adaptation).
Keywords: Popular Culture; Indian cinema; Shakespearean adaptations; Bollywood.
1 INTRODUCTION
Shakespeare came to the Indian subcontinent due to colonialism. The long history of colonial dominance in India includes cultural dominance. In India's colonial education system, Shakespeare and other western authors were frequently used. The colonial educational system's emphasis on Western literature, particularly Shakespeare, was crucial for political reasons as well. For instance, Shakespeare's works were incorporated into colonial curricula not only because they were examples of literary and artistic greatness but also because they exemplified the fundamental principles of the Western custom.
Shakespeare had been translated, altered, and assimilated into numerous Indian languages by the turn of the twentieth century, and writers and performances throughout the Indian cultural landscape helped to maintain his presence. Many Indian writers from every major Indian language have discussed his works, translated and adapted them, and/or been inspired by them, including Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Girish Chandra Ghosh, Dwijendralal Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, Jaishankar Prasad, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, Vrinda Karandikar, Kavalam Narain Shakespeare's works served as a rich source of inspiration for the Parsi Theatre.There are numerous ways in which Shakespeare's works have affected and been assimilated into Indian literature and culture, including through theme, characterization, genre, and structure. Additionally, changes in performance and cultural studies, globalization and internationalism, as well as translation and adaptation studies, have complicated how we navigate this relationship. His concepts of family, same-sex relationships, generational conflicts, gender, women, ideas of masculinity, friendship, the outsider, the racial other, violence, conflict, and emotions, as well as his conceptions of the nation, the empire, the kingship, politics, law, order, disorder, disguise, appearance, and reality, as well as nature, landscape, geography, the supernatural, and prophecy, have an enduring wisdom that has gained a firm foothold. Bollywood movies have long drawn inspiration from the Bard of Avon's renowned literary works. Shakespearean adaptations that reflect Indian culture are currently popular in Indian film. By and large, Bollywood has come synonymous with Indian popular culture over the times, and it contemporaneously represents and shapes the knowledge of the country.
Bollywood can be said to be bluntly Shakespeare- postdate in its disposition featuring song and cotillion, love triangles, comedy, psychodrama, star- crossed suckers, angry parents, conniving villains, accessible concurrence and incorrect individualities. Yet indeed in a massive culture assiduity, the Bard of Avon is frequently left unacknowledged in the practice of adaption. still, recent Bollywood products, similar as the Bollywood director Vishal Bhardwaj’s movie Maqbool(released in 2004; grounded on Shakespeare’s adaption of Macbeth), Omkara (released in 2006; grounded on Shakespeare’s adaption of Othello), director Manish Tiwari’s Issaq (released in 2012; grounded on Shakespeare’s adaption of Romeo and Juliet), the Malyalam film director VK Prakash’s Karamyogi (released in 2012;
grounded on Shakespeare’s adaption of Hamlet) have departed from the “ blatant plagiarism
” of their forerunners and listed Shakespeare as the source textbook or alleviation.
2 MAQBOOL, DIRECTOR VISHAL BHARADWAJ'S ADAPTATION OF SHAKESPEARE'S MACBETH
Shakespeare's classictale of rapacity and ambition is scattered to Mumbai's feloniousdemi world in this adaption of Macbeth from Indian pen- director Vishal Bhardwaj( Makdee).
Bollywood legend Irfan Khan( Slumdog Millionaire) stars as Macbeth stand- in Maqbool, the right- handman of importantcrimemaster Abbaji(Pankaj Kapur). When Maqbool begins an lawlessaffair with Abbaji's beautiful youthfuldoxy, Nimmi( Tabu), she convinces her nut to murder his master and convert his way to the top of the megacity's gangbangersyndicate.
Maqbool is true protégé to Abbaji. He'll do anything on his command and Nimmi will go to any extent to bring Maqbool in her grasp. Abbaji is fighting a war for his dominance.
Maqbool thinks that he's being sidelined in the entirepassing for no reason. So he takes effects in his own hand. The nagain the two policeofficers-- Pandit and Purohit( Om Puri and Naseerud din Shah) enter. They prognosticate that Maqbool will lose the battle of the power (as were the prognostics of witches in Macbeth). There are gritty scenes that remind us of Sorcerer's pictures as in Macbeth. The bloodbattle also has its resemblantdrawn from' Tarantino'. First, it defies the set formulae of Bollywood of a idol and a heroine falling in love and making rounds of trees with dozens of other hop. It also does not have a battle between the good and the bad. It's a film where the bad meets the worse. The heroine isn't an testament deliverer. She does not suppress her solicitations. The film also walks on the rough patches of denial. It talks of denial of power, denial of solicitations 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 tone and not for society, and this veritably approach makes this film look realistic and veritably contemporary though the introductory idea of the film(
Macbeth) is centuries' old. Maqbool succeeds in the domestic as well as the transnational requests precisely because the film melds the treason and chaos portrayed in Shakespeare with the murky, minatory Mumbai demi world. The film includes the love plots so essential to mainstream Bollywood pictures; contemporaneously, still, Maqbool opens up questions of corruption, terrorism, and collaborative harmony that have taken the center stage in recent Hindi flicks. William Shakespeare and the demi world putatively form a great blend
— at least in Bollywood.' Maqbool' is an Indianized interpretation of Shakespeare's Macbeth in a different time and space. There have been numerous stage donations of this play around the world. Some flicks have also been made but not in Indian environment.' Maqbool' is a path setter in numerous ways and is a winner in terms of its donation and style.
3 OMKARA, DIRECTOR VISHAL BHARADWAJ'S ADAPTION OF SHAKESPEARE'S OTHELLO
Omkara begins with a credit that reads," Vishal Bhardwaj's adaption of Shakespeare's Othello." The characters in Bhardwaj's movie partake the same first letters as their counterparts in the Shakespearean play- Omkara (Othello), Ishwar (Iago), Dolly (Desdemona), Indu( Emilia), Kesu(Cassio), Billo (Bianca), and so on. The time 2007 marks the 385th anniversary of the first publication of Othello. For those not familiar with the Bard's Venetian domestic tragedy, Othello, the movie Omkara can be said to be on the global theme of dubitation kills. Some might suppose the director had freeheartedly espoused themes from Hindu epics similar as Ramayana(dubitation of the woman and harkening to false counsel) and Mahabharata( power and the politics of power)- rather than Othello. still, for those who haven't read Othello are bound to enjoy the movie more, as the ending will be a surprise to them.Set in the pastoral areas of the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the story of Omkara goes commodity like this- Omkara or Omi (Ajay Devgan) is a political gorilla in love with Dolly (Kareena Kapoor), a counsel's son. As her father had arranged for her to marry Rajoh (Deepak Dobriyal), Dolly elopes with her love, Omkara.
Omkara has two trusted right- hand men videlicet Ishwar" Langda" Tyagi(Saif Ali Khan) and Kesu (Vivek Oberoi). Nicknamed" Langda" or" Lame", Ishwar is a shooter-smart, ruthless and power-empty. He's married to Indu (Konkana Sen), who's the big family to all the mugs of Omkara's gang, including Omkara. Kesu is an educated, pious gorilla whose doxy is a original cotillion named Billo (Bipasha Basu). When it comes to naming his principal assistant, Omkara chooses Kesu over Langda to attract Kesu's large political base and thereby insure an electoral palm for Bhai Sahib. When the canny Bhai Sahib asks," What
about Langda?" Omkara innocently replies," He's like my family. He'll understand." Omkara trusts and values Langda implicitly but noway bothers to explain his reasons to him. This single incident sets off Langda to bring down Omkara and Kesu by sowing reservations in Omkara of Dolly and Kesu having an affair. Langda brigades up with Rajoh, who's revengeful over Dolly's turndown to marry him, and they sluggishly produce particular substantiation that makes Omkara begin to suspect Dolly of infidelity. Saif Ali Khan, who else appears in characteristic chocolate- boy aesthetics , fashionable clothes, and the image of a leading man, gives in Omkara a controlled, brilliant performance as a power empty, uninstructed, rustic gorilla with a awful sense of humor.
Despite his untidy aesthetics, jarring language, and limp, Langda is made a sweet villain by Khan's performance. Khan acts marvelously indeed when he's not delivering dialogues. Khan makes Langda staid, so that the followership sympathizes with him when he doesn't get the assistant post. Khan provides a clear emotional background to his character. When Rajoh makes him wear sunglasses and balls around him screaming"
Langda, Bahubali" (Langda, Chief Lieutenant!), Langda's face broadens into a smile, conveying anticipation. Following this, Omkara passes up on Langda and the flushed, disappointed face put on by Khan still conveys the hurt and the unbelief of his character.
Eventually, adding personality to injury, Langda is asked to advertise to those staying outside that Kesu has been appointed principal- assistant. He does it with a quiet majesty and noway shouts, cries, or questions. latterly, he smashes his own reflection in the glass and uses his own blood to put a mark on his forepart(a tilak), crowning himself assistant.
Khan makes Langda a force to reckon with, which is unusual for a unlawful part. Indeed in the song sequences, Khan remains in character, moving like a hooded cobra ready to strike.Konkana Sen, who plays Langda's woman, Indu, seems to live the part. She slips into the character painlessly For the length of the movie, you feel she must be, in reality, some smart- talking, brassy vill belle who has no compunctions or visions about life. After a long time, Vivek Oberoi, as Kesu, provides a good performance. He looks like the fool and impeccably fits the character of a susceptible, unknowing, educated gorilla who doesn't realize both Langda and Omkara are using him. Deepak Dobriyal, as Rajoh, shows he can act; he morphs from the distrait bride who realizes there's going to be no marriage to the conniving man out for vengeance. The movie provides an accurate illustration of the politics of power. Fools don't earn power, indeed if they've a large following and, in fact, it's dangerous when they retain it. Fools is appertained to both Omkara and Kesu. Omkara considers himself a power broker but doesn't know indeed the introductory rules of politics guard of fawners whom you have ignored or slighted, and always initiate dispatches, explain your conduct, and apologize if you have to, so others understand they aren't being deliberately prevaricated to or betrayed. Kesu is a fool with a good heart and short temper.
His weakness is that he's manipulated and doesn't indeed know it. This makes him unfit to be a politicia still, some of the scenes are veritably realistic and one can see similar events being in moment's Uttar Pradesh, like the demand by a minor politician in power to change the destination of the train.The tragedy of Othello, and hence the plot, should be familiar to utmost. Bharadwaj stays true to the essential rudiments of the story, but transplants the action from Venice and Cyprus to a pastoral city in India. rather of a dark and alienated Moorish general among Italians, Othello is now Omkara (Ajay Devgan), a half- estate rabblement- rouser and gangbanger in the employ of the original leader/con/
administrative seeker Bhai- saab (Naseeruddin Shah). In the engaging opening sequence, Omkara’s men break up the marriage of his cherished Dolly (Kareena Kapoor in the Desdemona part) to the unhappy Rajju(the Roderigo character), and also face a tense gunpoint battle with Dolly’s angry father. Though Omkara and Dolly are truly in love, he's soaked by the parting words of her bitter father, which echo Shakespeare’s “ Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see She has deceived her father, and may thee .Meanwhile, as Omkara’s status rises in the wake of Bhaisaab’s release from captivity, he must choose a relief leader from among his apprentices. Portentously, he elevates debonair pupil- leader Kesu( Vivek Oberoi, impeccably cast as Cassio) over hardened brigand Langda( Saif Ali Khan, who shines as Iago). Langda isn't pleased, and hatches a unrighteous scheme to turn Omkara against Kesu and Dolly by persuading him that they're having an affair. Omkara, though a fierce legionnaire, isn't endured in love and, as in the original play, ill- served by his capability to judge character. Langda weaves a web of wile, enlisting the unwitting aid of
Kesu and his nut, the cotillion Billo(a smoking hot Bipasha Basu as Bianca), Roderigo, and Dolly herself, as well as his own woman (and Omkara’s family), the earthy Indu(Konkona Sen Sharma as Emilia). While some minor characters suffer different fates, the essential rudiments of the original story are all complete as the plot moves to its preordained conclusion. And though this bloody climax is ineluctable, it's shocking nevertheless, forcefully played and strikingly offered. While the middle of the film drags a bit( Othello has a lot of set- up, after each), Bharadwaj has a lot of fun along the way mixing signifiers.
easily a addict of spaghetti westerns, Bhardwaj has Devgan spend much of the film riding a steed and walking around in a wrap that looks like it's on loan from the Man With No Name. Crashing up against all of those rudiments are the constant cell phone operation of nearly every character which Bharadwaj integrates seamlessly into the four hundred- time- old story, and the designedly ridiculous use of one of the sorghum songs of the 1980s.
(Omkara shows that Bharadwaj easily has a devious sense of humor, one that wasn't on display at each in Maqbool.) Also, like the film itself, Bharadwaj’s fine musical compositions have a contemporaneously ultramodern and dateless sense to them. It does not hurt that Bharadwaj formerly again has the backing of India’s pre-eminent lyrist Gulzar. Omkara stays true to Othello’s spirit. What Shakespeare did verbally, Bharadwaj did visually. The film is full of largely emblematic gestures and objects. Desdemona’s lost “handkerchief ” which leads to the woeful end in Othello is replaced by a midriff band in the movie. The midriff band isn't only an erogenous symbol but it has a artistic significance too. Also, like in true Bollywood style, characters aimlessly burst into songs and dance routines, but none of them take down from the credibility of the film.
We formerly know about the egregious Shakespeare acclimations in Bollywood Omkara, Maqbool, and Angoor. These pictures are all direct Shakespeare acclimations, but there are numerous Shakespearean plots forming the base for our favorite pictures in lower unequivocal ways. They’re not really acclimations; they're full reinterpretations that bring the Bard’s plotlines into a new, uniquely Indian environment.
4 CONCLUSION
Bhardwaj said in an interview, post the time 2000 has started what we can doubtlessly call the golden age of Indian cinema. This is an egregious result of the rapid-fire development in movie making ways along with other supplemental advances- the huge vault in the development of the communication system in the internet age. In short, the marvels we call globalization. similar rapid-fire growth, along with the aid of certain other socio-artistic and profitable factors, has nearly fully changed the viewing practice of the civic followership.
Now, there's a diapason of followership for every kind of cinema. Owing to similar reassuring conditions, directors are also more willing to experiment with both content and form of cinema and break free from the boundaries of the traditional liar modes and preferences. Also, Bollywood moment readily finds at its disposal a wide global followership, enjoys contemporaneous transnational releases and advanced ticket prices. Bollywood maybe enjoys a larger viewership than any other film assiduity in the world. In similar times, artists with a sensibility steeped in erudite and artistic tradition can go to readdress old practices, and not simply grind their gift in careless plutocrat churners. When “all the world’s a stage” to the poet, Indian cinema has proven to be no exception. In the sub international, as well as in a global environment, Bhardwaj’s flicks can be seen as works that string together distant aspects of a global trans-artistic history of art, across mediums of expression, conforming the English master in a foreign lingo and still managing to keep both artistic rudiments complete with all their nuances and flavor. In a global environment, Bollywood flicks can be understood and enjoyed as a dirge for world peace, sung in a foreign (firang) lingo at the turn of 21st century.
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