Telluride-Riz Ahmed returns home to London for his father's funeral in a groundbreaking contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare's most iconic tragedy.
When the actor discovered his uncle Claudius has hastily married his mother Gertrude and claims leadership of their powerful family business, whispers of murder and betrayal begin echoing through the elite South Asian community.
Director Aneil Karia's vision transforms the Danish castle into modern London, where grief and rage collide with tradition, creating something truly rare in the landscape of Shakespeare adaptations.
Key Facts
• World premiere occurred at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2025, with North American theatrical release scheduled for April 10, 2026
• Stars Riz Ahmed as Prince Hamlet alongside Art Malik as Claudius, Morfydd Clark as Ophelia, Timothy Spall as Polonius, and Joe Alwyn as Laertes
• The opening sequence features a Hindu funeral ritual where Ahmed washes his father's body while a priest recites from the Bhagavad Gita, instantly grounding the story in authentic cultural grief
The film's opening has become universally celebrated by critics as pure brilliance. A Hindu priest chanting the Bhagavad Gita while Ahmed performs the ritual washing of his deceased father creates an unforgettable moment that proves Shakespeare's masterpiece can genuinely transcend cultural boundaries.
This single sequence establishes the film's entire identity as both ferociously contemporary and deeply rooted in centuries-old tradition.
Ahmed's performance has emerged as the film's greatest asset and primary reason to experience this reimagining. According to critics, his portrayal captures a man dangerously unraveling under the weight of grief and rage, beginning with subtle vulnerability before exploding into fury when his father's ghost reveals the truth.
The emotional authenticity he brings to Hamlet transforms the familiar role into something raw, intimate, and heartbreaking despite centuries of previous interpretations.
Two sequences have generated particular excitement among festival audiences and critics alike. The famous
soliloquy, which Karia presents with Ahmed behind the wheel of a luxury BMW hurtling down rain-slicked London streets like a Danish prince consumed by thoughts of death.
The decision to maintain Shakespeare's original iambic pentameter language while setting the story in contemporary London creates an interesting tension some critics have questioned. The corporation named Elsinore Construction Group and references to corporate hostile takeovers replace the Danish court's political intrigue, though some reviewers felt these modern details occasionally clash with the Bard's archaic speech.
Yet others argue this juxtaposition mirrors the genuine cultural experience of British South Asians navigating between tradition and insurgency, expectation and collapse.
One reviewer captured the film's cultural resonance beautifully, noting that the story feels genuinely South Asian because family dynamics, wedding chaos, and filial obligation resonate deeply within the community.
Ahmed and director Karia's creative collaboration appears designed to reach a new generation who may never have experienced Shakespeare, introducing them to the Bard's timeless exploration of grief, corruption, and revenge through a cultural lens that reflects their own lived experiences.
As the film approaches its wide theatrical release, audiences will finally determine whether this bold adaptation justifies its existence or becomes another Hamlet variation in an already crowded field.
Do You Know?
This film represents the first major Hollywood adaptation of Hamlet set within a British South Asian community, making it genuinely groundbreaking territory for Shakespeare on screen and reflecting the growing diversity in casting and creative direction for classic literature adaptations.
Key Terms
• Iambic Pentameter: The rhythmic pattern Shakespeare uses in his original text, consisting of five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables per line, which the film preserves unchanged
• South Asian: Individuals and cultures from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and neighboring countries, particularly referring to the British South Asian diaspora community in London
• Hostile Takeover: A corporate acquisition where the company being taken over opposes the deal, used in the film to replace the original play's themes of political succession and murder
• The Bard: An affectionate nickname for William Shakespeare, widely regarded as history's greatest playwright and poet
Image from Wikimedia Commons