A Comparative Study of Hamlet and Haider as its Indian Adaptation by Vishal Bhardwaj:An Intertextual Approach

Countless directors have used Shakespearean plays as the basis of their adaptations. Vishal Bhardwaj is an Indian director whose Haider (2112) is considered a modern adaptation of Hamletto talk about his contemporary society s engagements. Bhardwaj chose Hamlet because of its potential to reflect his society s current anxieties; however, he made some changes to fit it into the Indian context. This article seeks to analyze the relationship between Hamlet and its Indianadaptation with special focus on similarities and differences in characterization, setting and theplot s most pivotal elements in the light of the intertextual theory to answer the following questions: Why is Hamlet an appropriate choice for adaptation What features of Hamlet have beenreinforced or differed in Haider What features underline the significance of intertextuality inHaider How has Bhardwaj produced a contemporary Hamlet and expanded its themes Intertextuality as this study s main framework will result in discovering new meanings and aspects in Hamlet and Haider because as Hutcheon (21) declares adaptation is inexorably a subcategoryof intertextuality if the receiver knows the adapted text

Keywords:

Adaptation , Comparative Analysis , Haider , Hamlet , Intertextuality