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Now Playing: ‘Hamlet’ puts a modern spin on a classic tragedy

By: Gordon Briggs
Posted on: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

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A dead king, a message from a ghost, a prince’s quest for revenge, a poison cup, a high body count, Hamlet is one of the best things ever written.

I’ve always felt that if you’re watching a strong adaptation of Hamlet, the stage should be littered with dead bodies by the time the curtain falls. Because the story has been adapted countless times and in countless forms over the years, you may wonder what we can see in a Hamlet film that we haven’t already seen.

Thankfully, thanks to a gripping central performance from Riz Ahmed, this modern adaptation brings a new spin to an old story.
Under the direction of Aneil Karia, this Hamlet is a modern, South Asian-influenced adaptation set in London.

Here, we follow a grieving prince navigating a corporate empire to avenge his father’s murder by his uncle, Claudius. Under the guise that he’s going insane (maybe he is), we watch Hamlet’s grief slowly bring down a modern kingdom. This adaptation makes a few choices at conception that distinguish it from previous versions.

First, they set the story on the weekend of his mother’s wedding to Hamlet’s uncle. This adds an extra layer of tension to the story. Specifically, Hamlet and his family must enact various public rituals or a “performance of happiness”, even while Hamlet is in the grips of depression and secretly plotting to kill his uncle.

Furthermore, the film reimagines Shakespeare’s tragedy within London’s South Asian community, grounding the tragedy in Hindu culture through funeral rites and iconography. This choice places the film in a specific British South Asian context.

Example: The “play-within-a-play” is transformed into a stylized Indian dance sequence in which red-painted hands expose Claudius’ crimes.

What is emotionally effective is that all the changes aren’t just visual. This Hamlet adaptation redefines Ophelia by merging her character with Hamlet’s personal confidant, Horatio. This key change makes her the primary ally and emotional anchor rather than just a tragic casualty.

Played with real empathy by Morfydd Clark, this Ophelia is an intimate confidant who engages in banter with Hamlet before descending into her downward spiral.

For those who aren’t already familiar with the story, I can’t guarantee you’ll like this movie. However, for those interested in Shakespearean Tragedy or just a good old-fashioned psycho drama with a body count, this is one that you should seek out.

★★★1/2