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Rajini is Bhardwaj’s choice for King Lear
Superstar Rajinikanth would be the first choice for the role of King Lear if filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj decides to make a fourth film on Shakespeare’s tragedies.
Bhardwaj has successfully adapted Shakespeare’s works, such as, Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet into Maqbool, Omkara and Haider.
Speaking about his choice, Bhardwaj says, “Before making Haider, I had worked on the script of King Lear, and visualised Rajnikanth in the lead role. He will be my first choice, if and when I decide to make the film.”
Asked why he chose Shakespeare’s tragedies to make his signature films, the filmmaker said that while Maqbool was an accident, the other two films were his attempt to complete the trilogy. “...for my second film, I was looking for a story when I decided to make Omkara, an adaptation of Othello, and finally there was a pressure to make the third of the trilogy.” However, he admits that Haider was the most difficult film in the trilogy for him. “I was under pressure to ensure that the film matches up to the first two films and at the same time, I wanted to make a film in Kashmir against the backdrop of conflict,” he says.
Next on Bhardwaj’s wishlist is a trilogy of Shakespeare’s comedies but he has other plans before that. “I will not direct any films but will compose music for three films. I have neglected my role as a music composer and for the next year, I am going to concentrate on music.”