Maqbool

film by Bhardwaj [2003]

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July 21, 2026

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Maqbool is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, serving as the first installment in his Shakespeare trilogy. The film is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, relocating the story to the criminal underworld of Mumbai.1

The plot centers on Maqbool, played by Irrfan Khan, who conspires with his lover, Nimmi (Tabu), to murder Abbaji (Pankaj Kapur), Nimmi's husband and Maqbool's boss. Two corrupt police officers, portrayed by Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri, function as the Weird Sisters, delivering prophecies that influence Maqbool's actions. The film was critically acclaimed, with Pankaj Kapur winning a National Film Award for his supporting role.12

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Vishal Bhardwaj
Maqbool (2003)
Bhardwaj’s reputation as a filmmaker was established with the release of the second film he directed: Maqbool, a Hindi adaptation of Macbeth and the first in Bhardwaj’s Shakespeare trilogy. Maqbool is set in the criminal underbelly of Mumbai and centers on the eponymous…
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Bhardwaj’s reputation as a filmmaker was established with the release of the second film he directed: Maqbool, a Hindi adaptation of Macbeth and the first in Bhardwaj’s Shakespeare trilogy. Maqbool is set in the criminal underbelly of Mumbai and centers on the eponymous…
Read More

Lady Macbeth
Adaptations
…Tabu played Lady Macbeth in Maqbool (2003), an acclaimed Bollywood adaptation by director Vishal Bhardwaj.
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…Tabu played Lady Macbeth in Maqbool (2003), an acclaimed Bollywood adaptation by director Vishal Bhardwaj.
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