Four Indian Movies That Were Adopted From Shakespeare's Tragedies And Went On to Be Blockbusters

Indian film industry also known as the Bollywood is considered to be one of the biggest film industries of the world, and it claims that it produces more than 300 films every year. From time to time Bollywood has given some remarkable films. However, the film industry is also accused of making films after being inspired by other industries or some times many of the movies are carbon-copies of movies made in other industries. Likewise, Bollywood has adopted some tragedies of English's greatest poet and dramatist of all times William Shakespeare. Here is a list of some Bollywood movies that are adoption of Shakespeare's tragedies:

(1) Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak: is 1988 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film, directed by Mansoor Khan, written and produced by his father Nasir Hussain, and starring his cousin Aamir Khan along with Juhi Chawla in the lead roles, the film was debut film of both Aamir and Juhi.

 The film was released on 29 April 1988 to critical acclaim, and was a major commercial success, and was a blockbuster turning Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla into hugely popular stars.

 However, the movie was an Indian adaptation of Shakespeare's great tragedy "Romeo and Juliet". This was written by the great poet in his early career and was staged in 1562. It is a celebrated love story of Europe.

(2) OmKara:  is a 2006 Indian crime tragedy co-written and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. It starred Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead roles, supported by Vivek Oberoi, Konkona Sen Sharma and Bipasha Basu.

 Director Vishal Bhardwaj himself composed the entire music for the film, including the background score, with lyrics by Gulzar. The film is set in Meerut, a town in Western Uttar Pradesh. The film was showcased in the Marché du Film section at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival along with a book on the making of Omkara.

It was also selected to be screened at the Cairo International Film Festival, where Bhardwaj was awarded for Best Artistic Contribution in Cinema of a Director. The film also won three awards at the Kara Film Festival, an award at the Asian Festival of First Films, three National Film Awards, and seven Filmfare Awards.

 However, Omkara is believed to be an adoption of Shakespeare's play Othello, that is believed to be written in 1603,the story revolves around its two central characters: Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army and his unfaithful ensign, Iago. Given its varied and enduring themes of racism, love, jealousy, betrayal, revenge and repentance, Othello is still often performed in professional and community theatre alike, and has been the source for numerous operatic, film, and literary adaptations.

(3) Maqbool: is a 2003 Indian crime tragedy directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and starring Pankaj Kapur, Irrfan Khan, Tabu and Masumeh Makhija. Maqbool (Irrfan Khan) is the right-hand man of Jahangir Khan (alias Abba Ji) (Pankaj Kapur), a powerful underworld don. Maqbool is grateful and feels a close connection and personal indebtedness to Abba Ji. Seeing their close relationship, but also sensing Maqbool's ambition, two corrupt policemen (Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah) predict that Maqbool will soon take over the reins of the Mumbai Underworld from Abba Ji. Nimmi (Tabu) is Abba Ji's mistress, but she and Maqbool are secretly in love.

 Nimmi encourages Maqbool's ambitions and persuades him to kill Abba Ji to take over as Don. Maqbool is torn between his love for Nimmi and his loyalty to Abba Ji, but he begins to prepare the ground for becoming a Don, by ensuring that others in the line of succession cannot interfere. Finally, Maqbool murders Abba Ji in cold blood while he is in bed at night, with Nimmi next to him. Maqbool gets away with the murder and takes over as Don, just as planned; but both he and Nimmi are haunted by guilt, seeing Abba Ji's ghost and unable to wash the blood from their hands. There is also suspicion, within the gang, of Maqbool's role in the death of Abba Ji, and eventually the lovers meet a tragic end. In addition to the portrayals of the three tragic heroes, the film offers performances by supporting cast members, in particular Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah.

The two open the film in their roles as black comic relief corrupt police inspectors-cum-astrologers, predict the fall of Abba Ji who has them on his payroll and the rise and fall of Maqbool. Contrary to the original play, the corrupt cops are not just passive soothsayers. In an effort to sustain what they refer to as "balancing forces," they are also actively involved in shaping events, like aiding in providing information to Abba Ji's enforcers to wipe out a rival gang, using subtle nuances in coercing Maqbool to shift loyalties, deliberately botching an "encounter" attempt on Riyaz Boti (Macduff) and subsequently setting up an alliance between a rival politician (the incumbent one was backed by Abba Ji) and a fleeing Guddu (Fleance) and Riyaz Boti against Maqbool. This movie was an adoption of Shakespeare's Macbeth, it is thought to have been first performed in 1606.  It dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. Of all the plays that Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I, who was patron of Shakespeare's acting company, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright's relationship with his sovereign.

(4) Haider:  is a 2014 Indian crime tragedy film, written, produced and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, and co-written by Basharat Peer. It stars Shahid Kapoor as the titular protagonist, and co-stars Tabu, Shraddha Kapoor and Kay Kay Menon. Irrfan Khan appears in an extended special appearance. Haider, a young student and a poet, returns to Kashmir at the peak of the conflict to seek answers about his father's disappearance and ends up being tugged into the politics of the state. Haider was the first Indian film to win the People's Choice Award at the Rome Film Festival.

 Among several awards and nominations in India, the film won five National Film Awards: Best Male Playback Singer, Best Dialogue, Best choreography, Best Costume Design, and Best Music Direction.

However, along with Peer's book Curfewed Nights, it is the modern day adaption of Shakespeare's greatest tragedy ever, Hamlet. It is dated between 1599 and 1602. Set in Denmark, the play dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet is called to wreak upon his uncle, Claudius, by the ghost of Hamlet's father, King Hamlet. Claudius had murdered his own brother and seized the throne, also marrying his deceased brother's widow.