Vishal Bhardwaj (born 4 August 1965)[1] is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, music composer and playback singer. He is known for his work in Hindi cinema, and is the recipient of eight National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award.
Bhardwaj made his directorial debut with the children's film Makdee (2002), for which he also composed the music. He garnered widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades for writing and directing the Indian adaptations of three tragedies by William Shakespeare: Maqbool (2003) from Macbeth, Omkara (2006) from Othello, and Haider (2014) from Hamlet. He has also directed the action film Kaminey, the black comedy 7 Khoon Maaf (2011), and the satire Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2013).
In addition, Bhardwaj produces films under his banner VB Pictures. He has co-written and produced the films Ishqiya (2010), its sequel Dedh Ishqiya (2014), and the drama thriller Talvar (2015), among others. He has composed the musical score for each of his directorial and production ventures, and frequently collaborates with the lyricist Gulzar. He is married to playback singer Rekha Bhardwaj.
Bhardwaj was born on 4 August 1965, in Chandpur city in District Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh.[3][4] His mother Satya Bhardwaj was a homemaker, and his father Ram Bhardwaj was a sugarcane inspector.[5] His father also wrote poetry and lyrics for Hindi films.[4] He and his family lived in Najibabad until he completed class five in school.[6] They later moved to Meerut, where he played cricket for the state's under-19 team. His thumb broke during a practice session one day before an inter-university tournament, leaving him unable to play for the year. The same year, his father died, leaving him unable to continue his cricket career.[6][7]
He had an elder brother who struggled for years in Mumbai to become a film producer, and later died of a heart attack.[6] He composed a song at the age of seventeen. After hearing the song, his father discussed it with music director Usha Khanna. She used it in the film Yaar Kasam (1985).[6] Bhardwaj later moved to Delhi to pursue his graduation at the Hindu College, University of Delhi.[8] He met his wife, playback singer Rekha Bhardwaj, during a college annual function; she was a year senior to him.[9] He is also an avid tennis player.[10]
Career
Bhardwaj started playing harmonium for friends who were ghazal singers. After a few years, he took up a job with a music company called CBS in Delhi.[6][11] He later went to Mumbai to become a music composer, and he only took to directing films to create the opportunity to compose music.[10]
His interest in film direction was kindled after watching Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) and Krzysztof Kieślowski's television series Dekalog during a film festival in Thiruvananthapuram.[6][11]
In 2010, he composed the music for his production venture Ishqiya, which garnered him his second National Film Award for Best Music Direction and his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director.[21] He also composed music for Jungle Book Shōnen Mowgli, the Hindi-dubbed version of the anime adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's original collection of stories, The Jungle Book.[22] Apart from feature films, Bhardwaj has provided music for albums such as Sunset Point (2000), Ishqa Ishqa (2002) and Barse Barse (2011).[23][24][25] He frequently collaborates with Gulzar.[4]
Bhardwaj had read a short version of William Shakespeare's Macbeth and wanted to turn it into a gangster film.[7] He had seen Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood (1957), which was also inspired by Macbeth. It inspired Bhardwaj to make it into a feature film.[27] He then started working with Abbas Tyrewala to adapt the play.[27] This developed into the 2003 film adaptation Maqbool starring Pankaj Kapur, Irrfan Khan and Tabu; it was set against the backdrop of Mumbai underworld. The film was screened at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival.[28][29]Sita Menon of Rediff.com called it "..a visual gallery that is an intelligent blend of dark, tragic overtones and comic, satirical undertones."[30]CNN-IBN listed Maqbool as "one of the 100 greatest Indian films of all time" in a 2013 list.[31] In 2010, critic Raja Sen included it in "The Top 75 Hindi Films of the Decade" list.[32]
In 2009, Bhardwaj directed the action film Kaminey starring Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. The film follows the rivalry between identical twins, one with a lisp and one with a stammer. He bought the story for this film from a Kenyan writer.[43][44] It opened to positive reviews from critics upon release. Anupama Chopra gave a rating of 4 out of 5 and wrote "Kaminey is the best Bollywood film I've seen this year. It's an audacious, original rollercoaster ride. Written and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, Kaminey requires patience and attention but the pay off is more than worth it."[45]Kaminey was also a financial success, earning over ₹700 million (US$8.8 million) worldwide.[46] The film earned Bhardwaj his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director and Best Music Director.
Bhardwaj in 2012
7 Khoon Maaf (2011), a film based on Ruskin Bond's short story, Susanna's Seven Husbands, was Bhardwaj's next directorial venture. The story revolves around Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes (played by Priyanka Chopra) who murders her seven husbands in an unending quest for love. The film was written collaboratively by Bhardwaj, Bond and American writer Matthew Robbins.[47] It released on 18 February 2011 and met with positive reviews.[48] A Zee News critic mentioned in a four out of five star review: "Vishal Bhardwaj does it again. The maverick filmmaker has once again woven magic with his latest blockbuster 7 Khoon Maaf".[49]
In 2013, Bhardwaj directed Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, a political satire set in the rustic surroundings of a village in Haryana. It starred Anushka Sharma and Imran Khan, with Pankaj Kapur and Shabana Azmi in supporting roles.[50] Bhardwaj also choreographed a song "Oye Boy Charlie" in the film.[51] The film received mixed reviews from critics,[52] and underperformed at the box office.[53][54]
After a two year hiatus, Bhardwaj returned in 2016 to direct Rangoon, a romantic drama set during World War II and starring Kangana Ranaut, Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan. About the film, Bhardwaj said: "In history, very few people know that India was also involved in the war. On the Burma border the British Indian army was fighting against Subhash Chandra Bose's INA (Indian National Army), who were then with Japanese army and Indians were killing Indians at the Burma border."[63] The film opened to generally mixed reviews and failed to find a wide audience at the box office.[64]
In 2018, Bhardwaj wrote, co-produced and directed Pataakha, starring Sanya Malhotra and debutant Radhika Madan as two quarrelsome sisters. It was based on the short story Do Behenein by Rajasthani writer and teacher Charan Singh Pathik, which he loved after reading it in 2013 in the Sahitya Kala Parishad journal.[65] Udita Jhunjhunwala of Mint called the film "real and gritty" with Bhardwaj creating an "altogether authentic world". However, she felt that the film was stretched in length and "squanders its material advantage to pad out a fable that splutters and grunts before it gains momentum."[66]
Producer
Bhardwaj produces his own films under his banner VB Pictures. In 2010, he produced the black comedyIshqiya. Starring Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, the film was directed by debutant Abhishek Chaubey.[67] Chaubey had earlier assisted and co-wrote several of Bhardwaj's films. The film was an average grosser at the box-office.[68] The film earned him his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. He teamed up with Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures to produce the supernatural thriller Ek Thi Daayan in 2013. Dealing with the theme of witchcraft, the film was based on 'Mobius Trips', a short story written by Konkona Sen Sharma's father.[69] It received mixed reviews from critics,[70] but proved to be profitable at the box office.[71]
Bhardwaj's films are often twisted, with portrayal of characters with grey shades.[85] He also frequently adapts short stories and plays in films. The Blue Umbrella and 7 Khoon Maaf were adapted from Ruskin Bond's short stories.[86]Maqbool, Omkara and Haider were adaptations of William Shakespeare's tragedies.[85] Some of Bhardwaj's films take inspiration from real-life incidents. The Kashmir conflict was shown in Haider,[16] the Mumbai underworld in Maqbool,[85] and Talvar was based on the 2008 Noida double murder case.[74] Bhardwaj frequently collaborates with writer-lyricist Gulzar, calling him his "father" and "mentor".[87] Most treatments of his films are like documentaries. Haider was co-written by journalist-writer Basharat Peer, who was an eyewitness to the Kashmir conflict.[16]
Bhardwaj is influenced by the filmmaking styles of Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Akira Kurosawa, and Krzysztof Kieślowski.[88] Kieslowski's Dekalog (1989) inspired him to become a filmmaker.[88] Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah says: "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."[89]
^Hemrajani, Nikhil (10 February 2011). "Music Review: 7 Khoon Maaf". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
^"63rd National Film Awards"(PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. 28 March 2016. Archived(PDF) from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
