8 famous films based on William Shakespeare's plays

Team OTTplay

Hamlet (1996)

With a runtime of almost 4 hours, this Kenneth Branagh film is inspired by William Shakespeare’s play of the same name. The film bagged four Oscar nominations, including Best Art Direction (Tim Harvey).

The Merchant of Venice (2004)

Michael Radford helmed the film, which is an adaptation of Shakespeare's play of the same name. It stars Jeremy Irons as Antonio and Al Pacino as Shylock. The film focuses on how the Jewish community was abused.

Othello (1995)

The drama film is based on the tragedy by William Shakespeare. Laurence Fishburne plays Othello, Irène Jacob plays Desdemona, and Kenneth Branagh plays Iago in this Oliver Parker-directed film.

Julius Caesar (1953)

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, this classic is a film adaptation of Shakespeare's play. It stars Marlon Brando as Mark Antony and James Mason as Brutus. The movie showed the political sphere in ancient Rome.

Haider (2014)

Vishal Bhardwaj's film, which is based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, is set in the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir. The movie stars Shahid Kapoor as Haider, who is on a mission to hunt for his missing father.

Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013)

Based on Shakespeare's novel Romeo and Juliet, this Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie stars Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in the lead roles. 

Angoor (1982)

Based on Shakespeare's play The Comedy of Errors, this Gulzar film stars Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma in dual roles. The story centers on the comical mishaps that result from two pairs of identical twins.

Maqbool (2003)

This film, which is based in the Mumbai underworld, is a Vishal Bhardwaj adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. The film stars Tabu as Nimmi and Irrfan Khan as Maqbool, as lovers trapped in the underworld.