Maqbool is a remarkable adaptation of Shakespearean Macbeth, with an Indian touch to it. The sufi sounding music, bambaiyya underworld, a perfect cast makes the film special. Despite the restrained budget and the lack of glamour as compared to other contemporary underworld flicks, this film makes its mark on the minds of the audience.
The skills of the director obviate the need for audacity, as it is evident from the sequences in the film. Although the film is all about the underworld, and nothing else, not a single gunshot is seen in an explicit manner. One would never see an action scene(bloodshed, fights, etc) in the primary focus of the camera. That’s the trick to cut on costs, employed by the cricketer turned film maker!
The story, is the exact indianized version of Macbeth, with the witches undergoing a sex change appropriately, for the sake of common sense. The supernatural of Macbeth takes the form of accurate Indian astrology in Maqbool. The witches here are the policemen unquestionably faithful to the underworld dons, however, advocating the need for a balance of power.
Abbaji, the underworld tycoon portrays the king Duncan and Maqbool, Macbeth. All the actors have done their best. They’ve effectively etched the idea of ’’Fair is foul, foul is fair’’ throughout the movie. Appearances can be deceiving, the subtle difference in what we see, and what really is makes life even more scarier than it really is!
Trust is questioned throughout in the relationships depicted across each event. Greed, one comes to believe, has no remedy. More needs she the divine than the physician!