Omkara

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'…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.

I didn't have much expectations of Omkara; had never heard of Vishal Bharadwaj; expected another violent Bollywood pot-boiler. Turned out, it's one of the most accomplished Bollywood films of all times. Vishal Bharadwaj is an artiste of highest caliber, and succeeded beyond expectations in all the areas - direction, screenplay and music - he has put his stamp on. The screenplay, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello in the rustic setting of Uttar Pradesh's crime-ridden politics, is spell-binding, and could match the best of Kurosawa. The dialogues in Bhojpuri dialect are no doubt foul and vulgar in the extreme to match the setting, but to those who can understand the dialect, the humour is fascinating, and the dialogues possibly the best ever in the history of Hindi films. Unfortunately, the subtitles can't do justice to all the nuances of the dialogues. The most awe-inspiring aspect of the movie is the fantastic performances from all the cast, but above all by Saif Ali Khan as Langda Tyagi (Iago). From what I had seen of Saif Ali Khan in Dil Chahta Hai, Salaam Namaste, Ham Tum, Parineeta and others before this movie, I would never ever have imagined him in this role, let alone expect an epoch-making performance. He was more famous for his lineage - the incredibly gifted Sharmila Tagore who withered away her talent in Bollywood, her more famous Nobel-laureate grandfather Rabindra Nath Tagore, and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi the notable Indian cricket captain of yester years - than for his acting prowess. Well, am I surprised? To put it in perspective, I could recall 2 past performances in Hindi cinema, which were bolts out of the blue - Amjad Khan in Sholey and Kanhaiya Lal in Gunga Jamuna. The one from Saif Ali Khan in Omkara is a volcanic eruption. Mind you, Ajay Devgan has given the best performance of his career in the title role, so it's not as if there was no competition. The credit must go to the director as well - it was an inspired casting. I can't wait to see other movies of Vishal Bharadwaj, and of Saif Ali Khan, even though I know I'll probably be disappointed.

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.

Can Raw be Gorgeous ? Well here we have for that one rare spectacular treat. Vishal Bhardwaj visualizes and presents a mesmeric manifestation out of rustic, rural, and wild backdrop. Omkara is an adaptation from Othello, one of the four great tragedies written by Shakespeare that includes Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth. Vishal has made all possible efforts to recreate the magic of the powerful script and he has succeeded to a great extent. However he has changed background from one that at royals in Europe to pastoral countryside in western Uttar Pradesh. The movie has an extravagant treatment and every aspect from costumes to sets and dialect to music has been designed to near exactness. The beginning takes you straight into the heartland of India where politics and power equations are bread and butter of the inhabitants. The color of muscle-power, sex, and jealously makes perfect ingredients for a Bollywood potboiler. It surely have been a laudable effort by the filmmaker after depicting his genius with Maqbool in 2003 (another adaptation from Shakespeare's Macbeth).

Omkara stays true to its spirit, (the original word is a spiritual vibration from Sanskrit) it's an impersonal and formless representation of the absolute truth. Ajay Devgan playing the lead gives the right tone and shade to the character. His intense expressive eyes and deep throat say it all. It is indeed a quantum leap over his last negative portrayal in Ram Gopal Verma's "Company". He stays in focus from the first action sequence and the title song gives him a fitting introduction on the canvas. The whole drama revolves around his emotions and his weaknesses. His love interest in the film is played by Kareena Kapoor and to say the least she has been a complete revelation to watch. She looks stunning and emotes with ease in some very delicate parts of the show. Vivek Oberoi tries his hand again on some quality stuff after a string of flops recently but unfortunately he is one of the rare weak parts of this plot. He looked very vulnerable and the character never gave him an opportunity to come to the forefront. Konkona Sen Sharma is always full of surprises and her versatility is her strength. The variety of roles she does will be envy for any actor. She plays with simple elegance for a common house villager and without a doubt impresses one and all. Another high was from Bipasha Basu, playing a sultry siren and absolutely ignites the screen with couple of dance numbers. Apart from illustrating her well toned figure there was not much of performance meat in her presence. However the most sumptuous role was bagged by none other than brilliant Saif Ali Khan. He is the fulcrum for the whole movie and he is one who raises the bar of quality for many others around him. One could essentially feel the frustration and resentment in Saif's depiction. The way he hatches the plot and then makes his wicked moves one by one develops the much needed interest for the viewer. He is very slow to start with by staying in shadows of Devgan but then came the string of frames where he outclassed the former.

Omkara should well be appreciated for its technical brilliance. With bulk of shooting at Wai and Lonavala in Maharashtra, it would have been a real big challenge to structure an authentic North Indian village. The cinematography was sheer pleasure and many shots were so aesthetic that it felt like watching mesmeric work of art in motion. The frames were large and the theme of boisterous merrymaking was captured with meticulous vividness. The script is just right and director do not waste any reels on explaining irrelevant details. Though large hearted shower of local offensive words can get jarring for some audience. Music did not have much to do in this tight screenplay and the director could have done better without couple of songs. Although "Jag Ja Ri Gudia" composition sung by Suresh Wadkar is a pure melody and the veteran made his presence felt in crop of new singers. The song has special relevance with the storyline and thus goes along well.

All accolades to the director for feasting us on an outstanding cinema. He is a showcase of the new genre of Indian film makers and he has all his fundamentals in the right place. The movie leaves us with heavy thoughts and a lot to ponder in the end. It could have been very easy for anyone to go awry with such a radiant cast line but Vishal not only develops the individual characters skillfully but also creates the magic of making Raw look Gorgeous