South Asians love adding a bit of subcontinental flavor to everything. It’s mostly food and drink we do this to, like mixing baked beans with diced onions and cumin seeds, or spicing tea with cinnamon and fennel and cardamom. But now Academy Award winner Riz Ahmed has injected some spice into a Shakespeare classic: Hamlet.
Director Aneil Karia reunites with Ahmed for this reimagination of one of the bard’s most iconic works, which sees the prince of Denmark transformed into the Hindu heir of a vast London property empire. It’s immediately clear we’re in for a visual feast, with stunning dialogue-free shots of Hamlet’s father’s funeral dominating the film’s opening. This also sets the tone, confirming the South Asian cultural elements will be front and centre of this adaptation.
