Omkara (2006 film)
| Omkara | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster for Omkara | |
| Directed by | Vishal Bharadwaj |
| Written by | Vishal Bharadwaj Robin Bhatt Abhishek Chaubhey |
| Produced by | Kumar Mangat Ketan Maroo Neelam Pathak |
| Starring | Ajay Devgan Vivek Oberoi Saif Ali Khan Kareena Kapoor Konkona Sen Sharma Bipasha Basu Naseeruddin Shah |
| Cinematography | Tassaduq Hussain |
| Edited by | Meghna Manchanda |
| Music by | Vishal Bharadwaj |
| Distributed by | Big Screen Entertainer |
Release dates | July 28, 2006 |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Omkara, an interpretation of the classic Othello is a Hindi film directed by Vishal Bharadwaj starring Saif Ali Khan, Bipasha Basu, Vivek Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Konkona Sen Sharma and Ajay Devgan in lead roles. The score and soundtrack of the film has been composed by Vishal Bharadwaj himself with lyrics by Gulzar. The film is Vishal Bharadwaj's interpretation of William Shakespeare's play, Othello. Shooting for the film began in March and has been completed. A 10 minute preview of the film was showcased during Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. The film was released on July 28, 2006
Synopsis
Template:Spoiler Omkara or Omi (Ajay Devgan) is initially the 'General' or enforcer of a political party, leading a group which includes the crafty Langda Tyagi (Saif Ali Khan) and the dynamic Kesu (Vivek Oberoi) amongst his chief cohorts. The story begins when Omi appoints Kesu and not Langda as his replacement as his predecessor once he enters politics himself. Langda's pride is slighted and raging with envy, he hatches a plot to falsely implicate Omi's beautiful lover Dolly Mishra (Kareena Kapoor), in a love affair with Omi's “favorite lieutenant”, Kesu. With the unwitting aid of Indu (Konkona Sen Sharma), Langda's wife, and the willing help of Raju, a fellow grouch, Langda's plan takes shape and results in horrific tragedy. Using petty insinuations and lies, Langda keeps poisoning Omi's mind till one day it snaps and Omi goes about tearing up his own safe and secure world. By the time he realizes what he has done and the backlash of his actions it is too late. Template:Endspoiler
Characters
- Omkara "Omi" Shukla - Omkara is a combination of greatness and weakness. A principled man of action, he does not see life in midtones. He sees life either as good or evil. Therein lies Omi's tragic flaw.
- Ishwar "Langda" Tyagi - The principal catalyst in the story, Langda manipulates chaos into an orderly world and coldly invigilates its utter destruction. Tragically, the one person who truly loves him is the one who will have to settle the scores.
- Dolly Mishra - Dolly's love and trust for Omi remains rock steady till the end. Smitten by him, she believes that the idyllic life of her dreams will begin soon.
- Keshav "Kesu Firangi" Upadhyay - Kesu is a natural charmer. He likes his woman as much as he loves his guns. In spite of his first skin, he manages to fall in love with Billo, an orchestra party singer. Fearless and loyal to the bone, Kesu's only chink is his impatience and he pays for it in blood.
- Bhaisaab - An influential cog in the Brahmin politics of the region, Bhaisaab is a sophisticated man, which can be misleading at times, given the ruthless nature of his profession. Omi treats him more like a father figure than just a political mentor.
- Billo - Billo's wiles and charms has seen the sternest men melt with her desire. Kesu is besotted with her but she just keep him hanging on. A capricous soul, she is easily sucked into Langda's master scheme.
- Indu - Life with an unscrupulous gangster was always going to be tricky but Indu bore it all with stern determination. Fiercely devoted to Langda, she becomes an unwitting aid in her husband's nefarious scheme. When the truth dawns, she takes up the cudgel and decides to stem the rot.
Shooting Location
Omkara was shot over a period of 4 months across various locales, including Lonavala, Lucknow University, Allahabad, Bodh Gaya, Mahabaleshwar, Wai and Mumbai. Bulk of the shooting for the film took place in Wai Maharashtra. Even though most of the shooting took place in Maharashtra, sets were erected with precise details to create an authentic Uttar Pradesh village.
Cast
| Actor | Character in the movie | Character in the play |
|---|---|---|
| Ajay Devgan | Omkara 'Omi' Shukla | Othello |
| Saif Ali Khan | Ishwar 'Langda' Tyagi | Iago |
| Vivek Oberoi | Keshav 'Kesu' Firangi | Cassio |
| Kareena Kapoor | Dolly Mishra | Desdemona |
| Konkona Sen Sharma | Indu | Emilia |
| Bipasha Basu | Billo Chamanbahar | Bianca |
| Naseeruddin Shah | Bhaisaab | Duke of Venice |
Crew
- Director: Vishal Bharadwaj
- Screenplay: Vishal Bharadwaj & Robin Bhatt
- Story: Vishal Bharadwaj & William Shakespeare
- Dialogue: Abhishek Chaubey & Vishal Bharadwaj
- Producer: Kumar Mangat
- Music: Vishal Bharadwaj
- Editing: Meghna Manchanda
- Cinematography: Tassaduq Hussain
- Stunts: Jai Singh
- Costume Designer: Dolly Ahluwalia
- Choreography: Bhushan Lakhandri & Ganesh Acharya
- Lyrics: Gulzar
Music
The film has eight songs composed by Vishal Bharadwaj:
- Omkara - Sukhwinder Singh
- O Saathi Re - Shreya Ghoshal & Vishal Bharadwaj
- Beedi - Sunidhi Chauhan, Sukhwinder Singh, Nachiketa Chakraborty & Clinton Cerejo
- Jag Ja - Suresh Wadkar
- Namak - Rekha Bharadwaj & Rakesh Pandit
- Naina - Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
- Laakad - Rekha Bharadwaj
- The Tragedy of Omkara - Instrumental
Trivia
- This is Vishal Bharadwaj's third interpretation of a literary classic after Maqbool which was based on William Shakespeare's Macbeth and Chatri Chor which was based on Ruskin Bond's The Blue Umbrella.
- An audience poll was held to decide the title of the film which will either be Omkara, Issak or O Saathi Re. Omkara was the winner. However, all three of the possible titles are songs on the soundtrack of Omkara (Issak being another name for the song Namak).
- All characters in Omkara share the same alphabet or sound in their first name as in the original Shakespeare classic.
- Going along with the last point, Saif Ali Khan's character's name is actually Ishwar "Langda" Tyagi. He is referred to as Langda by everyone due to the way he walks.
- Saif Ali Khan literally shaved his head to get in the character of Langda Tyagi.
- A book on the making of Omkara has been released by producer Kumar Mangat and presenters Shemaroo Films .
- It is one of the few mainstream Indian movies to contain uncensored abuse.[citation needed]
Quotes
Ishwar "Langda" Tyagi: Bewakoof aur chutiya mein dhaage barabar farak hota hai. Dhage ke inge bewakoof aur unge, chutiya. Shage khench lo to kaun hai chutiya kaun hai bewakoof, carore rupiye ka prashan hai bhaiya. Zara dhenkhe to sahine dulhe raja ko. Ainkhen! Tu to bewakoof hain na...?
"Ishwar "Langda" Tyagi: A thin line separates a fool from a fucker. On one end of the line lies the fool and on the other, the fucker. Snap the line then who's the fool and who's the fucker that's the million dollar question, my friend. Let's just see the pretty groom. I'll be damned. You are a fool, right?"
Response
Box office
Omkara had a poor opening at the box office in India. The dark theme and strong language kept away family audiences, though it was a success abroad. The quickly entered the UK's Top Ten [1] and also did very well in Australia and the United States. [2]
Reviews
Though the film did not do too well in India, it was critically acclaimed universally. Rediff.com writes: "Vishal Bhardwaj's film is a superlative-exhausting work of passion and tribute, skill and style...Spellbinding stuff". All the lead performances were praised but it was Saif Ali Khan who was applauded the most for his villainous role. [3]