Omkara. Review on Omkara

Omkara, a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, set in western Uttar Pradesh, quenches a long felt thirst of the ‘hindi belt’ which has highly been neglected by the new age hindi filmmakers. Although the movie is high on drama, utmost care has been taken to keep the film close to reality. Barring slight deviation from the original, in the climax and in the characterization of Othello and Iago, the original play has been successfully conformed into the milieu of political warfare in Uttar Pradesh. It draws inspiration from the typical upper caste Brahmin politics existing over the region.

Ajay Devgan as Omkara (Othello) alias Omi Shukla, the central character of the movie, has done a good job. But, as the film progresses he looses variations and his expressions remain almost monotonous. Also, the director has given extra footage to the character of Langda Tyagi (Iago) over Omkara. But, still Ajay Devgan manages to impart gravity and sensitivity required in the character. Most importantly, unlike his other flicks, he is supported well by the other casts. Vivek Oberoi has also done justice to his role as the natural charmer, Keshav Upadhyay (Cassio) alias Kesu Phirangi. He fits well into the shoes of Kesu, the philanderer who serves as the perfect prey for Langda Tyagi, played by Saif Ali Khan. The insouciant parts of the movie are the scenes between Kesu and Billo Chamanbahar (Bianca), played by Bipasha Basu. She is the weakest link in the whole episode. It requires a lot of patience to sit through the scenes of Billo whether it is the scenes with Kesu or the songs. The director should have looked for other options. It would have been better if he could cut one of the songs picturised on her. She plays foul to the brilliant compositions and has tried too hard to transform them to typical item numbers. But, the earthy lyrics by Gulzar in songs like Namak combined with the genius of Vishal Bharadwaj, prove to be a saving grace.

The drama unfolds swiftly and remains powerful in all aspects till the interval. But, in the second half, it slightly looses pace. There seems to be several cuts in the second half owing to a lot ofconfusion at the director’s end. This becomes evident as the director fails to portray the conspiracy of Langda Tyagi in an effective manner. Even the trauma of Omkara is not captured properly. Though, the first half of the film is filled with wonderful dialogues, the second half severely lacks that. The kind of drama that was expected at the climax ceases to be there as the director chooses a quick and uncomplicated ending. But, in spite of all these, the sound characterization and performances combined with wholesome effort by the crew, takes the film to a graceful finish.

With Omkara, Konkona Sen Sharma seems to have confirmed her space in hindi films. In a short role as Indu (Emilia), the outspoken wife of Langda Tyagi, she proves her worth in the film. Thanks to her superb dialogue delivery, the character of Indu is so real that you will need to remind yourself that she is the same bengali actress who played Mithali in 15 Park Avenue. The good old Naseeruddin Shah as Bhaisaab (Duke of Venice) as the influential cog in the Brahmin politics of the region has once again proved his mantle as the undisputed numero uno in the character roles. The dark horse in the whole star cast is Kareena Kapoor. Going by the trends, the quality of performance given by Kareena Kapoor was quite unexpected of her. She has worked hard to give life to the character of Dolly Mishra (Desdemona), the beloved of Omakara. Mostly, she has been successful in imparting innocence and puerility to the character. Although she looks pale in front of Konkana Sen Sharma, for probably the first time in her career she gets noticed for her acting.

But, the real winner that emerges out of the whole order is certainly Saif Ali Khan. He has been phenomenal in the tailor-made role of Langda Tyagi, the foul-mouthed, scruple-less gangster as the central catalyst in the story. This film not only serves as an image makeover for him, but also as a milestone in his thirteen year old film career. The highest level of detailing that could be possible is done with his character. Like his menacing stained teeth and the long painted little-finger nail defines the character profoundly. It is delight to watch his perfectly synchronized actions lashed with rustic one liners. The scenes with his friend and fellow grouch, Raju are quite amusing. Saif Ali Khan is one of the primary factors that drive the repeat value of the movie.

The film remains almost flawless in depiction of the rural and the semi urban society of the region. It must have taken a lot of effort and research in infusing the level of crudity in the film. From the starting frame till the end, the director is successful in maintaining the consistency in the language and the settings, which is quite remarkable. Sameer Chanda, the production designer, after his great work in Rang De Basanti, has delivered a masterpiece this time. The level of set design in this movie has almost blurred the line between real and artifice. The set design is well supplemented by excellent camera work by the budding cinematographer Tassaduq Hussain. He has been successful in imparting a rusty feel to movie. The soulful music by the director himself, adds significantly to the quality of the movie. Especially, the title song has been used very effectively and has multiplied the intensity of the sequence several times, making it the most adorable part of the film. The folk songs used in the movie during the marriage rituals, add tremendously to the bucolic flavour of the film. The only flaw in terms of music has been the use of slightly westernised background scores during some of the sequences, as to some extent it negated the generous efforts of the crew to keep the settings authentic.

Whether or not Omkara is a worthy adaptation of the Bard’s work is a question that should interest the literary critics. Other than that, Omkara is a satisfying movie for an avid moviegoer. A lot of passion and hardwork has gone into the making of the movie and it shows.