Our own Shakespeare?
RANA SIDDIQUI
|
Vishal Bhardwaj is ready with his much talked about "Omkara", an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello.
|
In Othello, it is Desdemona's handkerchief which is planted on Casssio to prove her infidelity to him. Here Vishal replaces it with Dolly's waist band or Tagdi to give it A folk and sexual feel.
A BLEND Vishal Bhardwaj has Indianised Othello as Omkara with a folk touch to it.
He ensnared the kids into his web with "Makdee" a few years ago. He had to wait for fame a bit longer though. That came his way with "Maqbool", a film delectable in its nuances, honest with its Hindi adaptation of Macbeth. Now, Vishal Bhardwaj is walking down familiar lane again. This time, his focus has been on Shakespeare's Othello. Like in "Maqbool", he has taken care to Indianise the English classic. This time instead of the Mumbai underworld background, he has given a dash of Uttar Pradesh politics to Shakespeare's masterpiece, making sure that any and every Sunil or Salim can identify with the film.
Says Bhardwaj, obviously upbeat with his film after the buzz it has created on the circuit, "I have used the caste-based politics of Western UP in the film. But it is very subtle. I have no intentions to raise any issue. I hail from Meerut, I know the politics there, so it was easy for me to identify with that."
With big stars like Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Bipasha Basu in the line-up, Bhardwaj foresees no problems in getting an initial at the turnstiles.
Says the director who started his career as a musician, "I had the story of Othello ringing in my head since very long. And I found it quite dramatic to present it at this point of time when our mindsets are baffled with several socio-political upheavals. I have just followed my mind and since the film is set in today's time, it will be appreciated, I believe. I had just two-and-a-half months for recording the songs and shooting in the required weather. I was fortunate enough to get dates of all these stars together."
Folk touch
There are a lot of interesting things that you are likely to see in Bhardwaj's "contemporised and Indianised" Othello or "Omkara". To begin with, you will feel a strong folk touch. Many songs are taken from the original folk songs of Western U.P. For example songs of marriage and mehndi are taken directly from the folklore.
"Lakad Jaal ke" and "Bidi Jalaibe" are two examples. You also find names like Billo for Bianca and Langda Tyagi for Cassio. And then, most importantly, Othello, the moor of Venice in the actual play, is being transformed into a shrewd, muscleman from western U.P. who has his own wing of political goons. Ajay Devgan plays Omi or Omkara, or Othello. The name, reveals the director, is common to U.P. Kareena Kapoor plays Desdemona. She essays a simple college girl from Lucknow called Dolly who despite being a product of modern times and education, is deeply rooted to her small town values. Viveik Oberoi (Kesu Firangi) plays Cassio, and Saif Ali Khan comes across as Langda Tyagi or Iago.
"I took Ajay Devgan and Kareena Kapoor because of two reasons: Ajay's looks are very intense. He is dark too. He could be a perfect counter to a Desdemona kind of beauty. He can even get some complex with her looks. So I chose Kareena for her looks and that modernity she exudes."
And then the modernised Omkara also has mobiles, swanky cars, modern roads, tall buildings, university campus and much more.
They are characters from today's world with the same passion, love, jealousy, hatred and intrigues as in Othello. And then there is much more. For instance, in Othello, it is Desdemona's hanky that is planted on Casssio to prove her infidelity to him. Here Bhardwaj replaces it with Dolly's waistband or Tagdi to give it a folk and sexual feel.
"I found handkerchief too formal, unconvincing and un-Indian," reasons Bhardwaj. Othello has lots of overhearing scenes. Our man found them old too. He has used mobile phones for that! "I have not used Othello sequence by sequence or dialogue by dialogue. I have recreated it, rewrote it," asserts the man who has written the dialogue and composed the music too.
Costumes play a very important part in "Omkara". Bhardwaj has sought the services of Dolly Ahluwalia for that.
"She has designed costumes for `Bandit Queen' and `The Blue Umbrella', so perfectly. So she was just the right choice for me."
They liked it
Bhardwaj was quite apprehensive about the reaction of the British Press on his adaptation. He recalls, "The British are very sensitive about Othello. So I showed Omkara to the British Press in UP. To my surprise, they all praised it a lot and said to me, `It is a very smart representation of Othello. In fact it doesn't look like one but seems like an original script just inspired by Othello'. So, my first hurdle was crossed. As far as my Indian audience and critics are concerned, I would say that I have followed my heart. If I have liked it, they would like it too. I didn't want to make a film for the critics, I wanted to make it for the audience belonging to both urban and semi-rural parts."
And this "musician by heart" has not only composed the music of the film but has also used some original folk songs in the film. The other songs are penned by Gulzar. He has made some changes in the song situations too. For instance, he hasn't put that famous song from Othello that Desdemona sings on her bed just before she is going to be killed by Othello. "I have not used a song in this situation because it is climax of the film. I have used it earlier in a background as a celebration when Cassio is being made a chief by Othello. This song is `Lakad Jaal Ke'.
To give it a folk touch with a township kind of a look, Bhardwaj has shot in Lucknow, Allahabad and parts of Maharashtra on a total budget of Rs.23 crore. "It was very hectic, back-to-back work - quite backbreaking," he concludes. So, it is time for crime, passion, politics. Othello, oops, "Omkara" has them all. Importantly, it has Vishal Bhardwaj's integrity and professionalism to recommend. Game to take the test?
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
