Omkara is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. The expectation from the movie is huge due to the accomplished names associated with it, both on and off the screen. As also that it is the first time some filmmaker has attempted to adapt a tragic Shakespearean drama. I watched the movie yesterday in the paid preview and here is my take on it.
Omkara( Ajay Devgun) is a 'bahubali' (name given for a local dons in UP/Bihar) who is very close to politician bhaisaab (Naseeruddin Shah). When Bhaisaab moves from being an MLA to an MP, he nominates Omkara for MLA seat. This leaves a vacancy for the bahubali and Kesu Firangi (Vivek Oberoi), a trusted lieutenant is made one. This enrages Langda Tyagi (Saif), another lieutenant as he expected the post. Raju (Deepak Dobriyal), the person who was supposed to marry Dolly (Kareena), Omkara's fiancée, edges him on. The story then is about how a jealous Langda creates suspicions and manages to create a rift between the protagonists by poisoning Omkara's mind about Kesu and Dolly. Indu (Konkona), Langda's wife, becomes a pawn without knowing. By the time Omkara realizes the truth it is too late.
Some outstanding scenes/dialogs in the movie to look out for 1. The dialog Dolly's (Kareena) father says to Omkara that a girl who can deceive her father can deceive anyone 2. The sequence where Omkara kills a rival for betting on his love and says "Sharath ghodon pe lagave hai kathor sheron pe nahin" ("bet on horses not lions") 3. The killing of bhaisaab's arch rival 4. The climax is expertly executed and has a chilling effect with everyone doing an outstanding job here.
The movie succeeds in creating a rural UP ambiance. The dialogs, the settings, the performances all work towards that direction. Cinematography is a plus which aids this. The movie never lacks in pace and is expertly edited. Another aspect is the music which is very good and Gulzar's lyrics are fantastic, as can be expected from the master. "Beedi" and "Saathi Re" are the songs to look out for. The movie does tend to be a bit too realistic. The expletives used could have been toned down as also some 'below the belt' humor. Agreed these make the movie realistic but will put off quite a few people.
Coming to the performances, this is one area where the movie does not lack anything and the expectations from such a cast are completely met.
The one performance that really stands out head and shoulders above is Saif's as Langda. This is no mean achievement considering that the movie has some splendid performers and Saif had never played such a character in his career. He is simply brilliant. Be it the limp in his walk or the stained teeth, be it the way he talks or the emotions he displays on screen are all fabulous. A definite award worthy performance!
Ajay Devgun as the smoldering Omkara is also very good. The pathos he shows when suffering with suspicion is fantastic.
Kareena Kapoor also puts in a fantastic performance. She plays the innocent Dolly to perfection. This is after a long time that I can talk about her performance. Just goes to show what she can achieve given the right directors and setup as otherwise most of her characters are way too loud (K3G, Khushi, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon come to mind) and those really put off a lot of people.
Vivek Oberoi is competent, so is Nasser who has what you can call a special appearance. Konkona Sen-Sharma is brilliant as Indu. Her expressions in the climax are worth watching. Bipasha has only some scenes apart from the two songs where she performs very well. New comer, Deepak Dobriyal as the jilted lover of Dolly, thirsting for revenge is a find for sure. Whether he goes the way of Vijay Raaz is something to be watched out for.
Direction wise the movie is fantastic. Vishal Bhardwaj who previously directed the universally acclaimed Makdee and Maqbool is in form here as well. He is a multi talented personality. He has not only directed this but also given music and written the story and screenplay. He is a director to watch out for the future.
Overall the movie is good but the expletives-laden rustic language is a big put off for families. Another jarring point is the dialect in which the dialogs are spoken. It will be difficult for people outside of UP-Delhi-Bihar belt to really understand the nuances. This can make some not really grasp the movie which goes against it. Watch it if you can manage the language.
Omkara( Ajay Devgun) is a 'bahubali' (name given for a local dons in UP/Bihar) who is very close to politician bhaisaab (Naseeruddin Shah). When Bhaisaab moves from being an MLA to an MP, he nominates Omkara for MLA seat. This leaves a vacancy for the bahubali and Kesu Firangi (Vivek Oberoi), a trusted lieutenant is made one. This enrages Langda Tyagi (Saif), another lieutenant as he expected the post. Raju (Deepak Dobriyal), the person who was supposed to marry Dolly (Kareena), Omkara's fiancée, edges him on. The story then is about how a jealous Langda creates suspicions and manages to create a rift between the protagonists by poisoning Omkara's mind about Kesu and Dolly. Indu (Konkona), Langda's wife, becomes a pawn without knowing. By the time Omkara realizes the truth it is too late.
Some outstanding scenes/dialogs in the movie to look out for 1. The dialog Dolly's (Kareena) father says to Omkara that a girl who can deceive her father can deceive anyone 2. The sequence where Omkara kills a rival for betting on his love and says "Sharath ghodon pe lagave hai kathor sheron pe nahin" ("bet on horses not lions") 3. The killing of bhaisaab's arch rival 4. The climax is expertly executed and has a chilling effect with everyone doing an outstanding job here.
The movie succeeds in creating a rural UP ambiance. The dialogs, the settings, the performances all work towards that direction. Cinematography is a plus which aids this. The movie never lacks in pace and is expertly edited. Another aspect is the music which is very good and Gulzar's lyrics are fantastic, as can be expected from the master. "Beedi" and "Saathi Re" are the songs to look out for. The movie does tend to be a bit too realistic. The expletives used could have been toned down as also some 'below the belt' humor. Agreed these make the movie realistic but will put off quite a few people.
Coming to the performances, this is one area where the movie does not lack anything and the expectations from such a cast are completely met.
The one performance that really stands out head and shoulders above is Saif's as Langda. This is no mean achievement considering that the movie has some splendid performers and Saif had never played such a character in his career. He is simply brilliant. Be it the limp in his walk or the stained teeth, be it the way he talks or the emotions he displays on screen are all fabulous. A definite award worthy performance!
Ajay Devgun as the smoldering Omkara is also very good. The pathos he shows when suffering with suspicion is fantastic.
Kareena Kapoor also puts in a fantastic performance. She plays the innocent Dolly to perfection. This is after a long time that I can talk about her performance. Just goes to show what she can achieve given the right directors and setup as otherwise most of her characters are way too loud (K3G, Khushi, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon come to mind) and those really put off a lot of people.
Vivek Oberoi is competent, so is Nasser who has what you can call a special appearance. Konkona Sen-Sharma is brilliant as Indu. Her expressions in the climax are worth watching. Bipasha has only some scenes apart from the two songs where she performs very well. New comer, Deepak Dobriyal as the jilted lover of Dolly, thirsting for revenge is a find for sure. Whether he goes the way of Vijay Raaz is something to be watched out for.
Direction wise the movie is fantastic. Vishal Bhardwaj who previously directed the universally acclaimed Makdee and Maqbool is in form here as well. He is a multi talented personality. He has not only directed this but also given music and written the story and screenplay. He is a director to watch out for the future.
Overall the movie is good but the expletives-laden rustic language is a big put off for families. Another jarring point is the dialect in which the dialogs are spoken. It will be difficult for people outside of UP-Delhi-Bihar belt to really understand the nuances. This can make some not really grasp the movie which goes against it. Watch it if you can manage the language.