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Omkara

Movie Omkara Director Vishal Bharadwaj Producer Kumar Mangat Music Vishal Bharadwaj Cast Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma

Lata Khubhchandani

Vishal Bharadwaj certainly is a man with confidence and after adapting two of Shakespears's popular plays to the Hindustani milieu one must admit that his confidence is not misplaced. Maqbool was a complete delight and Omkara is only a notch lower . Firstly the cast Ajay Devgan Saif ali Kahn Viveik Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor and Konkona sensharma along with Naseeruddin Shah thrown in make for the first point of interest. Ajay proves in roles of such intensity that he is an incredibly talented actor. His looks notwithstanding. Like the Amitabh bachchan of yore he makes you forget his looks when he starts to perform. As Othelo or Omkara he lives the role if you don't already have an image of Othello as this tormented strong yet weak man of substance.Saif as the vindictive wannabe bahubali does such an effortless job of his role that one can only pray that he gets more roles that will tap his potential as actor. From Konkona one expects the absolutely fluid performance she has given but it is Kareena who makes you gape. She looks stunning, and does her Desdemona act so convincingly that one sees her as fine honed actress and not as a virtual newcomer who has mostly danced around trees. This should be a pointer to others who cast her only for her star value. This girl is a performer and a sincere one. Anything less from Naseer was not to be expected. The much spoken about Bipasha Basu as Billoo is the only one who is quite wasted really. She looks as if in alien territory but provides awelcome break from the slightly heavy tale. One must admit that if the dialogue was even a bit different the film might not have succeeded. It is the dialogue which is the real hero. Vishal Bharadwaj has done a fine job of jolting people to attention as soon as some of the scenes start getting tedious and you start wondering what's happening which is so earthshaking?. The dialogues are crisp, blunt, have shock value yet fit in perfectly with the gun and cell phone toting cast. Of the music the Ajay Devgan number 'jag ja re' is outstanding. If that's Suresh wadkar one wonders why others don't offer him more playback assignments. The locales are breathtaking-scenes like the one where Omkara anoints Kesu his new lieutenant in place of Langda Tyagi remain in memory. for long. The scene where Ajay smothers Desdemona is unforgettable , so beautifully is it shot. The length of that particular scene is almost curiously perfect. One must admit that throughout the film it is the director who has held the reins tightly. Vishal is really anewcomer to the directoruial field but his control of the medium is anything but new. He had earlier made atele film titled 'tan- tanann' which never saw the light of day but which suggested his directorial capabilities. Omkara is amust watch and with each viewing one is sure to discover newer nuances in the film. What Omkara has done is to highlight Bharadwaj as perhaps the MOST savvy director we have today..The Karan Johar's and Rituparno Ghosh's and Aditya Chopra's seem like kids still experimenting and giving reasons for why they do what they do. Omkara is Vishal Bharadwaj's film. It suggests that the director has very strong style of which we hope to see more in the future.