| Shakespeare
has been an inspiration for millions of writers and film-makers, and Vishal Bharadwaj
too, is smitten by the bard. After
adapting Macbeth into Maqbool, Vishal turns to Othello for his inspiration
in his new film Omkara set
in the rural suburbs of Uttar Pradesh. Central
to the plot are three characters - Ajay Devgan (Omkara), Saif (Langda Tyagi) and
Vivek (Keshu). Kareena
(Dolly), Konkana (Indu) and Billo (Bipasha) are their respective loves. The
film opens with Dolly's kidnapping by Omkara on the day of her marriage, at her
behest. Omkara
is the local hoodlum and the chief lieutenant for the corrupt politician Bhaisaab
(Naseerudin). Langda and Keshu ably aid him, in his foul deeds. Dolly
rejects her father's pleas and decide to stay with her kidnapper. When
Omkara gets promoted within his gang, he names Keshu as his successor. This
angers the over zealous and often jealous Langda. And so starts a saga of deceit,
treachery, and evil foul play. Langda
soon plants the seed of doubt in Omkara's mind regarding Dolly's faithfulness.
With
a passionate nature, Omkara becomes obsessed with this news. So much so that he
begins to think the worst. The
climax of the film, engineered by Langda, is a tragedy to say the least. Involving
all the central characters, their lives change forever. Vishal
has stuck to the original story while adapting it to cater for the Indian audience. The
film is technically brilliant, especially the lighting, camera work, music and
action. Rural India has never been so well captured. Of
the cast, Ajay Devgan excels as the warlord, torn between love and treachery.
Saif
is brilliant as the scheming Machiavellian sidekick. Vivek is restrained, with
little to do. Kareena
and Konkana turn in an above average performance, while Bipasha in a special appearance
looks great especially in one of the song sequences. Unfortunately
the film falters in the excessive use of foul language. This was evident in one
of the Midlands cinemas where some of the family orientated audience commented
on the same. Overall
Omkara is one of Vishal's best work to date. This
film has already received rave reviews by all the UK critics. It has also managed
to race into the UK top ten charts during its opening weekend. With
such credentials, Omkara is worth a watch!
Reviewed by our guest reviewer
Vaidyanathan. | 
