Cast
Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Konkona Sen Sharma, Naseeruddin Shah
Omkara is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s OTHELLO starring Ajay Devgan as Omkara or Omi.Set in the lawless hinterlands of present day Uttar Pradesh, Omkara tells the tragic love story of Omi (Ajay Devgan) and Dolly (Kareena Kapoor).Omi is a chieftain who heads a gang of outlaws which include the crafty Langda Tyagi [Saif Ali Khan] and the dynamic Kesu [Vivek Oberoi] amongst his chief cohorts.Omkara is in love with beautiful Dolly [Kareena Kapoor].Omi’s boss Bhaisaab (Naseeruddin Shah) decides to contest for the Parliamentary seat, his State Assembly seat is offered to Omi. For his part, Omi then decides to offer his old job to the outsider Kesu (Viveik Oberoi), ignoring Langda’s earlier claims to the post.Langda’s pride is slighted and raging with envy he hatches a plot to falsely implicate Omi’s beautiful lover Dolly [Kareena Kapoor] in a love affair with Omi’s “favorite lieutenant” Kesu.The talented Konkona Sen Sharma is here as Dolly’s confidante Indu. If you know your Othello well, you’ll quickly recognize Iago’s good wife Emilia in her.With the unwitting aid of Indu [Konkana Sen Sharma], Langda’s wife, and the willing help of Raju, a fellow grouch, Langda’s plan takes shape and results in horrific tragedy.Love is blind but the flip side of love is jealousy and that can tear apart the strongest and bravest of warriors – in this case Omkara.
MUSIC
The song which I like most in Omkara is its title song ’Omkara’ sung by Sukhwinder Singh.One is literally carried to the heartland of India in a way the song has been structured, be it the lyrics, tune or the rendition."O saathi re" is a romantic number and is sung beautifully by Shreya Ghoshal and Vishal himself.’O Saathi Re’ exudes the feeling of intimacy and deep love. Watch out for Bipasha Basu in ’Beedi’ that is as rustic-n-earthy as it gets!’Namak Issak Ka’ is sung by Rekha Bhardwaj is just an average track.Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, of "Lagi man ki lagan" and "Jiya dhadak dhadak" fame, sings this soothing number "Naina thag lenge"to perfection with his unusual flair. Vishal makes good use of the sitar in "Naina..."Other tracks like ’Jag Ja Ri Gudia’, ’Lakkad Jal Ke Koyla Hoye Jaaye’ doesn’t impress at all.The last track of ‘Omkara’ is called ‘The Tragedie of Omkara’. It’s a short instrumental track wherein the sinister pitfalls of human mind are delineated upon.It is apt for the movie that has a tragic end.
Omkara * * * * (4/5)
O Saathi Re * * 1/2 (2.5/5)
Beedi * * * (3/5)
Namak Issak Ka * * * (3/5)
Naina thag lenge * *(2/5)
Jag Ja Ri Gudia * (1/5)
Lakkad Jal Ke Koyla Hoye Jaaye * 1/2 (1.5/5)
The Tragedie of Omkara * * (2/5)
PERFORMANCES
An extremely important aspect that has given the film that amazing edge is the splendid performances by all the actors. Saif Ali Khan simply delivers an astounding performance, one of his most brilliant performances.The actor deserves distinction marks for portraying the role with such realism that you start hating him after a point.Ajay as Omkara too gives a good performance, his dark serious look suits his character and he especially excels as the betrayed lover.Ajay makes a stirring and powerful interpretation of a man haunted by uncertainty about his lover’s faithfulness.
Among the ladies Kareena’s Desdemonia/Dolly is a bang-on epitome of inviolable innocence.Kareena delivers an award-worthy performance. Konkona’s waif-life exuberance reminds you of the early Jaya Bhaduri. Bipasha Basu’s two saucy item songs crackle and hiss with a hypnotic blend of the earthy and the unattainable.
Naseeruddin Shah gives an average performance and Deepak Dobriyal as Raju too gives an enthralling performance.
Vishal Bharadwaj’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello is remarkable. Omkara is a realistic, different and intellectual film. Those audiences who prefer realistic and different cinema will definitely find this film appealing.Aspect that works against the film is the abundant usage of bawdy phrases and galore cheap expletives. Although no doubt Vishal has used the UP dialect and expletives so as to bring more realism to the film, nonetheless it could have been toned down a bit.This film is a must-watch for those who love a great screenplay, myriad emotions and remarkable performances.
BOX OFFICE RESULT
This film was reviewed 4 to 5 stars by many newspapers and magazines.Despite this audience rejected the film mostly because of the dark and disturbing theme and abundant usage of bad language.As the result, film failed at the Box Office.
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