Sunday, August 06, 2006

OMKARA

Time- 2:45pm
Venue-Screen 4-City Center, Salt Lake

The Screen opens in a rustic land which predefines the events that is to be followed. I went with lot of anticipation as to how Vishal Bharadwaj would adapt this Shakespearian classic into a film set in a back drop of modern Uttar Pradesh politics. But when I had come out of the hall I was pleased with the fact that the director had justified the adaptation of the classic Othello. It is a marvelous effort and a good movie to watch. Right from dialogues to character realization the movies stands upto all the expectations. The story is on the same lines as Othello, Omkara or Omi (Ajay Devgan) is 'General' or enforcer of a political party, leading a group which includes the sly Langda Tyagi (Saif Ali Khan) and the dynamic and educated Kesu (Vivek Oberoi) amongst his chief companions. The story begins when Omi appoints Kesu and not Langda as his replacement as 'General' once he enters politics himself. Langda's is shattered with envy he hatches a plot to crucify Kesu. He poisons Omi’s mind that Kesu and his beautiful wife Dolly (Kareena Kapoor), are having a love affair. Omi with his inferiority complex over his own looks compared to Dolly’s finally gives in to this trap. 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 it was all over. There are other characters that shape up this tragedy, Indu (Konkona Sen Sharma), Langda's wife, and Raju, a fellow grouch, who wanted to marry Dolly once, had some part to play to the tragic end to this story.
The beauty of Shakespearian plays is that they all deal with human feelings and these defy time and space. Envy, Hatred, Love all these emotions are perfectly shown in the movie. Omi’s love for Dolly which finally becomes an obsessive rage, Langda’s Envy and Hatred for Kesu all finally ends up by crucifying Dolly devoted love for Omi. Each of the actors/actresses have justified the roles to perfection. The background score and dialogues in dehati language perhaps adds to the specialty of this movie. I would say this movie is a bold attempt in the Hindi Film Industry and hats off to the effort.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm nice to hear abt the film..will try to watch it... well hey u hv gr8 talent to explain things....nice to see the film through ur words!!!

anacreon said...

Why don't you start selling your extra-ordinary skills? I think there will be a lot of demand for you. ;-)

Unknown said...

@Anand:
Ya atlast you started believing in my skills ;-)

Anonymous said...

a great and successfull attempt to sketch a visual of Omkara by "Suitable Boy"...