New Delhi: Vishal Bhardwaj has many credits to his fame. From getting stellar performances from his actors and giving Hindi cinema one of its best films, Vishal Bhardwaj also has donned many hats of a filmmaker, producer, music director, lyricist and a writer. As Vishal celebrates his 57th birthday, let's take a look at some interesting facts about his filmography and professional life-choices and what inspires him.



  • Vishal Bhardwaj enoys works of renowned filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Krzysztof Kieślowski. He has drawn inspiration for many of his films from these two completely different filmmakers.


Violence has been seen in many of Bhardwaj's films and he attributes making 'violence entertaining' to Quentin Tarantino's films.


From Krzysztof Kieślowski, the Polish filmmaker, Bhardwaj has tried to learn the idea of finding extraordinary conflicts in very ordinary lives. He tried to use the same for 'finding his father' angst in Hairder's character in 'Haider'.



  • Despite having made successful Shakespearan adaptations of Macbeth in the form of 'Maqbool', Hamlet for 'Haider' and Othello for 'Omkara', Vishal hated Shakespeare in school. It was only much later in life that he accidentally discovered his love for the Bard.


 



  • Vishal heavily draws his characters from his personal life.


In an interview with The Indian Express, he once said that Langda Tyagi( from Omkara) was a student called Rathi who limped and was called Langda Rathi. Rathi also happened to be 'dada, a gunda and a student (in Meerut). Jo bhi Omkara mein tha, I had seen all those characters in real life, I had seen those street fights. I had seen those ganglords and wars. The character of Naseer saab in it — Bhaisaab, the politician — there was a gangster in Meerut like that. When I went back (to Meerut) in 2005, things were the same, rather worse. And then I came to know that Rathi had became a professor, so I thought then I can become a filmmaker too,' he said in the interview.



  • There was a time in his life when fame got the better of him. Vishal Bhardwaj has spoken about how with the sudden success of 'Maachis' and his capabilities as a music composer made him a star. In two days, from autos, he had graduated to a Ford and how all that got to him. 


Vishal Bhardwaj then gradually under Gulzar's guidance took up screenwriting and later became the filmmaker we know of today.


Vishal has also been rightly credited for having given some of Bollywood's best films like 'Maqbool', 'Haider', 'Makdee','Kaminey' and through these films a host of actor performances not seen a lot. Rightly called an actor's director, Vishal Bhardwaj has given audiences various shades of Shahid Kapoor, Pankaj Kapur, Irrfan, Tabu, Priyanka Chopra and many more.


A very happy birthday to the veteran filmmaker. We hope to see more of his cinema soon.