Haider has a lot of things going for it, but it doesn’t live up to what it could have been. In that way, it’s a little like Hamlet’s description of his his new step-father, the naughty uncle Claudius: “A little more than kin, and less than kind.”

Haider doesn’t have an ounce of the commercial thrills and spills that entertain the 100-crore masses. But it does have an undeniable dramatic punch. It is one of the best stories you’ll every watch on celluloid. Give this edgy film a chance to entertain you. Because it will do so with aplomb. It’s certainly better than the other chutzpah out there.

If we get a movie better than Haider in the remainder of 2014, let’s count this as a really good year. At this point, the chances of that happening don’t seem likely.

Haider is a moving film that tells the story of not just a character or a family, but of Kashmir itself. …It may ultimately leave you dissatisfied and heartbroken, but just for the first half, Haider is worth watching again and again.

Haider is a class-appealing fare which will do well in premium multiplexes and high-end single-screen cinemas of the big cities mainly. It will be enjoyed by the classes but it will not be liked by the masses. Business in lesser multiplexes and lesser single-screen cinemas as also in ‘B’ and ‘C’ class centres will be rather dull. Overall, average.

Haider is an immensely effective reimagination of Shakespeare—and the film’s biggest triumph is that the provincial, in this case Kashmir and the characters defined by its reality, shine in a universal and timeless tragedy.

An absolutely delightful and lyrical adaptation of Hamlet that takes some liberties, for Kashmir’s sake…

Helmed by the brilliant story teller Vishal Bharadwaj, ‘Haider’ comes with an unforgettable climax.

Haider is a classic creation minus Bollywood’s cliché elements. It needs patience and your devotion.