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		Home > Bollywood Movie Reviews > Omkara Vishal Bharadwaj Is The Real Star APK | August 13, 2006 Rating: ***.75 (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad) Cast: Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Bipasha Basu, Naseruddin Shah, Deepak Dobriyal and Others. Action: Jai Singh. Cinematography: Tassaduq Hussain. Editing: Meghna Manchanda. Lyricist: Gulzar. Screenplay: Vishal Bharadwaj, Robin Bhatt & Abhishek Chaubhey. Music, Dialogue & Direction: Vishal Bharadwaj. Presenter: Raman Maroo. Producer: Kumar Mangat. Banner: Big Screen Entertainer. Release Date: 28th July, 2006. Maqbool, which was an adaptation of Macbeth, was appreciated by critics and cinegoers alike. But in that movie, Vishal Bharadwaj, Gulzar's erstwhile assistant, has used such innovative ideas while adapting the Shakespeare's tragedy of Macbeth to the Mumbai underworld Don's right hand Maqbool, that it astounded Shakespeare readers and novices to the story alike. The three mighty priestesses were converted into two police inspectors keen on astrology who pretend to be in the Don's grip but scheme to destroy the whole gang-Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri in two acclaimed performances. The prediction of the priestesses that Macbeth cannot be vanquished till the forest moves to his fort was tackled likewise and adapted so fittingly. Irrfan Khan and Tabu starred in roles they can be sure will haunt them through out-we are talking about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth here, no less! There were no pretensions about it. The adaptation of another Shakespearean tragedy Omkara (Othello) by Bharadwaj is saleable with big stars, more grandeur and the larger-than-life charisma that big stars lend it. After Malayalam director Jayaraj's 'Kaliyattam' in 1997, this is the second cinematic adaptation of Othello in India. Plot In Othello, the dark Othello elopes with the fair Desdemona who is madly in love with him; his jealous aide Iago convinces him that she has been having an affair with his lieutenant Cassio, so Othello kills Desdemona. Upon discovering the truth, he kills himself. Bharadwaj sets the movie in Uttar Pradesh, where Omkara (Ajay Devgan) leads a gang with his right hand members Langda Tyagi (Saif Ali Khan) and Kesu (Vivek Oberoi). Omkara elopes with Dolly, as she confesses her love for him and brings her home where she stays waiting for the wedding to take place. In the meantime, Kesu is appointed the chief lieutenant after Omkara and Langda, in a fit of jealousy, plots to convince Omkara that Kesu and his fiancé Dolly are having an affair. The rest of the tragedy follows on the wedding night. Story, screenplay and direction The story, like most other Shakespearean tragedies, is timeless. But to adapt it to a cell-phone savvy era in Uttar Pradesh was pure novelty. The screenplay drags a little in the end, but the rest of the story moves fast. For those who've read Othello, they might find this attempt courageous and the way the character names sound similar very interesting. For those who haven't read the tragedy, the story is very unique for Bollywood and extremely difficult to tackle commercially. But Bharadwaj excels the most in one department-in extracting performances from each character. The editing is good, and the photography is brilliant. Bharadwaj's direction sense is truly commendable, and the attempt to re-create Othello is brave. The scene where Langda is woken up by his friend telling him he is to be the next 'Bahubali' and the scene where Dolly breaks down after she loses the 'Kamar-bandh' are interesting; the part where Omkara suffocates Dolly to death could have been more convincing. Performances Everyone delivers their best performances in this movie. Saif Ali Khan as Langda Tyagi shines throughout the movie with a subtle but brilliantly done performance. Ajay Devgan as Omkara is good, but we don't see Omkara/Othello in the movie-the essence of the character is lost. Kareena Kapoor as Dolly is a perfect choice and has just given her best performance. Konkona Sen Sharma as Langda's wife Indu is perfect and Bipasha Basu as Billo does justice to her role. Vivek as Kesu is a surprise. Vivek can actually emote, and is doing so after a couple of movies of pure hamming. Naseeruddin Shah delivers in the role of Bhaisaab. Music The music is another highlight in the movie. Bharadwaj enthralls one and all with the astounding quality of his music and the way he places it in the movie, along with the background score, is very good. The music is another character in the movie, and a fantastic character at that. The title song 'Omkara' rendered by Sukhwinder Singh is amazing, while 'O Saathi Re' by Bharadwaj and Shreya Ghoshal is romantic and haunting. 'Beedi' and 'Namak Issak Ka' are above average, while 'Jag Ja Ri Gudia' by Suresh Wadkar and 'Naina Thag Lenge' and 'Laakad Jal Ke Koyla Hoye Jaaye' are excellent compositions. Overall, the music is one of the best albums of the year. And the verdict is.. Great music, excellent performances, superb photography-but in the movie, the soul of 'Othello' is lost. In Maqbool, Bharadwaj managed to capture the essence of Macbeth and at the same time dished out an interesting Bollywood movie that could hold audiences' attention for the 2 odd hours. Omkara may seem really novel and unique to the regular Hindi moviegoer, what with some really big stars cast in the roles of their lives. There might be mixed opinions about the movie, but without a doubt Vishal Bharadwaj, the music composer and Vishal Bharadwaj, the director has arrived and is here to stay-and stay he will, in the top-most slot.