These two OTT films by one director have an 8.0 IMDb rating and a climax where the hero, heroine, and villain all die, movies’ names are…

Cinema has long fed us the same comforting loop, boy meets girl, they fall in love, a villain meddles, but in the final scene, the couple walks away victorious while the villain pays. We clap, we smile, we leave satisfied. But what happens when the curtain falls on a graveyard instead, where the hero, heroine, and villain all lie cold? That’s the unsettling route taken by two films from one of India’s most daring directors.

Who is this director who bends love into tragedy?

Born in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, Vishal Bhardwaj entered the film industry in 1995 as a music composer with Ajay. His soulful work in Maachis struck deep chords, and Godmother won him the National Award for Best Music Direction. In 2002, he stepped into direction with Makdee and went on to craft cinema like strings of a tangled pearl necklace, beautiful yet uneasy. He has won nine National Awards, and his worlds lean toward shadowy truths rather than neat black-and-white morals.

What inspires such endings?

Bhardwaj has a deep connection with literature, especially William Shakespeare’s tragedies. His Maqbool and Omkara are steeped in the DNA of Macbeth and Othello. Even actor Naseeruddin Shah once said, “I think Vishal Bhardwaj makes interesting films… Even his bad work is more interesting than many people’s so-called good work.”

Maqbool (2003): Love, loyalty, and a quiet death wish

In this crime drama, Irrfan Khan plays Miyan Maqbool — the right-hand man of underworld boss Jahangir Khan aka Abba Ji (Pankaj Kapur). Bound by debt and loyalty, Maqbool’s world tilts when he falls for Abba Ji’s mistress Nimmi (Tabu). Love, ambition, and duty collide until all three, Maqbool, Nimmi, and the shadow over them, meet the same fate: death. The audience is left in silence, not relief.
Where to watch: Prime Video.

Omkara (2006): Power, suspicion, and ruin in dusty Uttar Pradesh

Set in Meerut’s political underbelly, Omkara follows a feared enforcer (Ajay Devgn) who loves Dolly (Kareena Kapoor). Around them move loyal Keshav (Vivek Oberoi) and cunning Ishwar “Langda” Tyagi (Saif Ali Khan), married to Indu (Konkona Sen Sharma). Everyone wants something — power, love, position — but suspicion blows apart the bonds. By the end, the hero, heroine, and villain all die, and the audience sits stunned. Made on a ₹26 crore budget, it earned ₹42 crore and swept awards.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Zee5.

Why do these endings matter?

Because they challenge the core Bollywood myth — that stories must comfort us with survival and union. Bhardwaj’s Maqbool and Omkara, instead, remind us that life is often cruel, love can be fatal, and power always exacts its price.

News