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Omkara
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'Omkara'

Omkara is Vishal Bhardwaj 's interpretation of William Shakespeare’s classic, Othello – a play that has been made four times in Hollywood but is being brought to life for the first time in a mainstream Hindi film in a commercial format.

The intense Ajay Devgan plays the title role of Omkara or Omi – a gifted chieftain who heads a gang of outlaws.
Bhardwaj writes in his book based on the play: “Ajay was

the first to be cast, not to speak, the easiest. His tough as nails presence speaks of an unspoken authority and righteousness that characterises my Omkara. He was the trigger point instrumental in getting the film made.”

Kareena Kapoor plays Omkara’s beautiful lover Dolly.
Bhardwaj writes: “In the play, Desdemona’s breathtaking beauty forms the basis of Othello’s sexual jealousy and eventual breakdown. I was on the lookout for a pure face, who could play my Dolly – someone who is completely besotted with Omi and at the same time completely unaware of the workings of his jealous mind. In Kareena, I found that perfect balance of innocence and sensuality and she has quietly taken the center stage with her performance.”

Vivek Oberoi plays the dynamic Kesu – one of the chief cohorts of Omkara.
Bhardwaj writes: “Vivek surrendered himself to the script and surprised me with his diligence…For one sequence, he had to play the guitar and sing. He practiced non-stop for a month and on the day of the shoot, blew everyone with his performance. It’s turned out to be one of the best scenes in the film.”

Saif Ali Khan plays the crafty Langda Tyagi – another of the chief cohorts of Omkara.
Bhardwaj writes: “With Saif, his character needed to be reptile like and yet, physically look like a rugged fighter. It was critical that he cut his hair. He had been reluctant to do so. I left the decision to his conscience. Finally on Eid, a day before we began shooting, he chopped it off, calling it qurbani (sacrifice) to Allah. In that single moment of truth, my Langda was born…Evil had rarely looked so cool on screen.”

The veteran Naseeruddin Shah plays the role of Bhaisaab – a miniscule but a pivotal part in the project. The talented Konkana Sen plays Indu – Langda's wife in the film.

Bipasha Basu makes a special appearance in the film as Billo Chaman Bahar.

The story is set amidst the political mafia of UP…a strife-ridden melting pot in north India. The story begins when Omkara appoints Kesu and not Langda as his chief lieutenant.

Langda's pride is slighted and raging with envy he hatches a plot to falsely implicate Omkara's beautiful lover Dolly, in a love affair with Kesu.

With the unwitting aid of Indu 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 Omkara's mind till one day it snaps and Omkara goes about tearing up his own safe and secure world.

By the time Omkara realizes what he has done and the backlash of his actions it is too late…

Omkara follows one man's descent into sexual jealousy because of his passionate love for his woman and the final destruction of that love at the altar of blind obsession.

Love is blind but the flip side of love is jealousy and that can tear apart the strongest and bravest of warriors – in this case Omkara.

Bhardwaj writes in his book: “I set the story amidst the political mafia of Uttar Pradesh… a strife-ridden melting pot in north India…I spent my childhood in the small town of Meerut in UP. This interpretation of Othello as my characters populate a place and language that I have known closely…Somewhere they have left their Shakespearean roots far behind and surrendered to me…For example I based the character of the central antagonist, Langda Tyagi, on a childhood friend whose growth as a gangster had happened in the front of my eyes.”

Like the legendary Hollywood filmmaker, Orson Wells, Bhardwaj is fascinated with Shakespearean drama – one of his finest works remains his interpretation of Shakespeare's Macbeth – Maqbool .

Omkara in spirit stays true to the central theme of Othello and ends up humanizing Shakespeare's characters with the necessary folklore and ethnic charm that is required for a contemporary story setting.

Produced by Kumar Mangat, Omkara is directed by Bhardwaj, who is also the music director of the film. Lyrics are penned by the great Gulzar .

Omkara is slated to release on July 28, 2006 along with Anthony Kaun Hai

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