| 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. | 
