Omkara (2006)

Macbeth became Maqbool And Othello became Omkara Both these movies are oh! so cool This marks the beginning of Vishal's era

Fortunately, the movie has no similarities with my rhyme!

Omkara is a tragic love story set at the backdrop of political turmoil in the rustic locales of UP (actually shot in Beed, Maharashtra). Omkara Shukla (Ajay "I still cant shake off my brooding image" Devgun) is the main henchman of a political bigwig (Naseeruddin "somebody gimme a meatier role" Shah). Omkara's trusted sidekicks are Langda Tyagi (Saif "I can do any role" Ali Khan) & Kesu (Vivek "Kisna screwed my career" Oberoi). Dolly (Kareena "Im pretty impressive" Kapoor) is Omi bhaiyya's love interest but was supposed to marry one Mr. "always in suit, even in the scorching sun" but is kidnapped in the first frame itself by Omi. They stay together, waiting for the auspicious day to get married. Everything goes fine from then on - the usual politics and the occasional shootouts. Things take a turn for worse when Kesu is named the baahubali in place of Langda as he is the educated one. Jealousy drives Langda to malign poor Kesu's image in front of Omkara and that forms the plot of the movie.

Omkara banks on superb performances and a solid screenplay. The proceedings keep to interested, especially whenever Langda is on the screen. The dialogues are witty when required else pretty harsh with all the imaginable profanities thrown in. Moreover every now and then you struggle to keep up with the dialect but then the effect wouldn't have been the same without it. Music is in sync with the movie and the tracks make for a neat compilation. "Beedi" - the desi dance number with rhythm guitars stands out as one of the most innovative songs of the year. Vishal the composer deserves applause here.

Talking about performances, Ajay Devgun gets the role he is used to playing and expectedly he does fine. Kareena gets to display a wide range of emotions are she does a neat job (read: a couple of nominations for sure). Naseeruddin Shah's role is small, plus he doesn't get a chance to display his potential. Vivek Oberoi does okay, actually you hardly notice him in the movie. Bipasha (special appearance), leaves her mark with two dance numbers. Kokana Sen does a fantastic job playing Langda's wife but its Saif who yet again proves that he has got a trick or two up his sleeve. He gets into the skin of Langda Tyaagi and rocks the movie completely and walks away with the best lines. The guy never fails to surprise. Overall, Omkara is pretty dark and it will be remembered as a worthy adaptation of the tragic Shakespearean love story. Hats off to Vishal Bharadwaj for making a genuinely good movie.He wove the political uncertainties and love story neatly without any loose ends showing off.

If you live on a diet of Karan Johar movies, stay away. If you want to spend that idyllic evening with your babe watching Omkara, then fuh-get about it. This is serious gritty stuff - stuff which separates the boys from the Bard.

-Arun

Fmovies: No good enough, at least we watched a good act and good music but still...!! I think it's overrated

This must be one of the least-expected brilliant movies this year.. The movie-making skills of Vishal Bhardwaj are certainly not poor, but with this film, he surely notches up his ranking in our minds by so much more. The one thing I could notice while seeing the movie was the spellbound effect it had on the hall ... when the audience was ready to leave, there was not a sound.... till all came out and then a few blurted that they did not get the message of the movie.... well, guess what??... the story doesn't exude any message.. all it tries to do is give the "Indian" or better still "rural UP" touch to the Bard's masterpiece... Get awed by Saif' maturity in acting, or Ajay's powerful rendition... this movie deserves as much praise as any other classic this whole decade ! Cheers Vishal...carry on...

Omkara fmovies. One of the questions that the director and the scriptwriter have to deal with when making a film adaptation of a classic is that of balance. One would like to remain true to the original story, yet each medium has its own modes of expression and a literal translation of a story would usually result in a long, incoherent, and ultimately powerless film. "The trick is," as director Trevor Nunn says in an interview about The Merchant of Venice, "to make a completely new piece of work while preserving the original piece of work." And Omkara, Vishal Bharadwaj's adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello is that rare beast. It is stunningly true in details and spirit to the original play (despite the substantial changes necessitated by transferring medieval Europe to modern day Bihar) and also be one of the finest Hindi movies made in recent times.

The reason for Shakespeare's huge popularity and general regard as one of the greatest playwrights ever is the timelessness of his themes- love, relationships, race, class, gender, jealousy, hatred, betrayal and death. He created unforgettable characters who remained people we can relate to. The basic premise of all his plays is usually simple. Shakespeare was a master who wrote for everyone, a fact that is sometimes forgotten by those intimidated by his high-brow reputation. And Omkara stays true to that spirit by making no attempt to intellectualize itself. The characters are crude and their language is coarse, in a way that compliments the feel of the film perfectly. Some of the elements of the film are deliberately over-the-top or violent and the scene in which Omkara smothers Dolly is extremely long and vivid; it is to Bharadwaj's credit that he turns this lack of subtlety into an asset. Indeed Omkara couldn't have been made any other way.

The acting throughout the film is splendid. Saif Ali Khan, in particular, is extraordinary as the wily, manipulative Langda Tyagi. Khan is one of the most versatile actors in Bollywood and it hard to believe this is the same guy who so brilliantly played 'Sameer' in 'Dil Chahta Hai'.

And oh, the ambiance! Bharadwaj creates the perfect setting for the film with a combination of great music, wonderful cinematography and a relentlessly dark atmosphere. This is a director who knows what he is doing and is a master at it.

I could go on and on about 'Omkara'Â…but probably it is best that the reader go and judge for himself. A word of caution though, Omkara is not for the weak-hearted.

It seems that Bollywood is coming of age. To tackle something like Shakespeare...is no mean feat and in Hindi...wow! Being a bit of a literati, I went into the movie hall, well armed with 'Othello' knowledge, ready to slam the film, however I was the one totally slammed.

Vishal Bharadwaj has done the unthinkable, like a druid has he imbibed the soul of the quixotic 'Othello:The Moor of Venice' into the heartland of rustic India. The process is almost like a heart transplant...a highly successful one nevertheless as 'Omkara' seems to throb with a restless energy that overwhelms the viewer. The nuances are subtle and therefore impactful. The dialogues are first-rate and the songs brim with bucolic poetry. 'O Saathi re' is one track that feels as refreshing as the country air. Performance-wise, Ajay Devgan as Omkara has outdone himself, Kareena Kapoor gives a kindred performance, her innocence is truly touching. Konkana Sen-Sharma is wan, like Emilia of the original and hence one enjoys watching her. Viveik Oberoi succeeds clearly because he's more sub-dued and not cantankerous (ref.Pyare Mohan). But it is Saif Ali Khan who packs a punch as Iago. Personally, my favorite Shakespearan antagonist is Iago and I'd have been devastated if hi character had been miscast. But while Saif's portrayal makes you cringe,(thanks to his rather realistic vileness); he also succeeds in making you feel contrite for the angst he exudes. All in all, the entire crew of the film deserves a pat on their back, because the more cultured can easily pick out and savour the multifarious thematic connotations of the film, the masses themselves will not feel alienated. This is Vishal Bharadwaj's true ingenuity.

If you like cinema, it's beyond me how you can not like this movie.

There's so much to love here. The precision and nuance the director employs is beautiful. There are so many scenes that only last a few seconds, but they leave such an indelible effect. Like cinematic poetry. So many opportunities for extended conflicts and contrived drama is eschewed in favor of a shot that lingers for just a few moments, letting you know everything you need to.

The director really gets it. And because he gets it, the actors are free to act, all doing much better work than we're used to seeing. Saif steals the show. Othello, the play, needs Iago.

And Saif takes that ubermensch archetype and runs with it, from the broad strokes of the character, the obvious facets embodied in his physicality and his his presence, to the more subtle notes like that glimmer of lonely angst in his eyes. And he does it without ever trying to upstage anyone, or at least does a good job of giving that impression.

The birthday party scene, where he quietly begs for some sign of affection from anyone gathered and finds himself all alone, was touching in a surprising way - I've seen a lot of movies, and I think I even pride myself on not falling prey to the usual appeals to emotion; the same techniques that directors and actors use over and over again. But, this caught me off-guard. There's a level of depth to the verisimilitude and nuance that's hard to come by.

The role that music plays in all this is also amazing. Not surprising because the director, Vishal Bharadwaj, comes from an accomplished musical background. It rarely calls attention to itself and always seems to complement the visuals and action in perfect sync. A thing of beauty, really.

Anyway, reading what I've written so far, you might think that this movie is only for people who take movies too seriously, maybe. People who're very concerned with the technical aspects of it etc.

But, that's really not the case. It is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello, and it never strays too far from it's source. It's Shakespeare, that yardstick of universally applicable human experience.

I found myself relating to every character in the movie, even the minor ones. It engages you on a level that few movies ever do and does it without asking too much. Because there are no long monologues. The dialogue is succinct and apt. The visuals are always pretty, many of the frames like paintings taken by themselves. In other words, despite belonging to that post-Tarantino MTV generation, expecting constant stimulation and engagement to be provided to you instead of actively investing it, I had no trouble with this movie.

The film doesn't have the arrogance to ask you to sacrifice your viewing pleasure because it's Shakespeare and invest extra amounts of energy and attention. Without using the word in a bad way at all, there's plenty of entertainment here. And that's Shakespeare too.