Vishal Bhardwaj not done with the Bard yet

Vishal Bhardwaj has just returned from London where his Shakespearean trilogy" Maqbool, Omkara and Haider" was screened as part of an event marking the Bard's 400-year death anniversary co-hosted by the British Film Institute and Indian Shakespeare on Screen. The shows were sold out and the filmmaker who'd thought his adaptations would be confined to Bollywood, was enthused by the audience's interest, particularly in Haider for the way he'd interpreted Hamlet in Kashmir, despite the fact that 95 per cent of them were foreigners. "They loved the witches of Maqbool, my Iago, Langda Tyagi, Haider's ghost and Shahid's (Kapoor) soliloquy in the Lal Chowk. They also liked the use of the word chutzpah, despite its Indianised pronunciation," informs Vishal.

The biggest high was meeting Sir Ian McKellen at a dinner at the Asia House on April 27. The legendary actor in the '70s and '80s had performed at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, playing several Shakespearean roles, including Macbeth with Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth, and as Iago in Othello. Vishal is in awe of the Tony and Golden Globe winner and was overwhelmed when he admitted he'd loved Tabu in Maqbool, Omkara's Langda Tyagi and thought that Haider was the best Hamlet adaptation he has seen yet.

Mesmerised, he watched the Brit legend perform a soliloquy from As You Like It, but the biggest surprise was when he asked Vishal about his plans after dinner. "Nothing," Vishal shrugged, and Sir Ian invited him and his friends home, joining them in the back seat of the cab.

"Once we reached his place, he served us the best wines, showed us the hat he had worn as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and his sword, and a scene from his Macbeth. We were there till 3 am and discussed everything from cinema to politics and religion," exults Vishal.

Sir Ian who reiterated at the screening of Richard III that the Indian adaptations were the best, will be in Mumbai on May 23 to open the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Film Club with a Masterclass. He was keen to share the stage with Vishal but the filmmaker is flying out to New York a week before. But during the time they spent together the veteran said that he was keen to do a film with the Indian auteur, particularly after hearing that another Tony Award-winning Brit actor, Richard McCabe, features in his Rangoon, a period love story set against the backdrop of the Second World War. "I asked Sir Ian if he would learn Hindi like Richard and he said if the role is good enough, he would," laughs Vishal.

He admits that he had thought he was done with the Bard, but after the reception to his trilogy he wants to continue with the adaptations. "After all the dark dramas I'm thinking of a comedy next, but at the same time I am really excited about King Lear. In fact, Sir Ian who in 2007 performed King Lear for the Royal Shakespeare Company gave me an idea on how to interpret the tragedy on screen." So will he cast the actor as Lear in his film? "Sir Ian wants to collaborate with me on a project. I don't know if he would fit into the Shakesperean adaptation since the subject is rooted in India.

But I am looking for another story with him in mind and I'll shoot that film in London," Vishal promises.