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Shakespeare tale, Hindi style

Director, music composer and writer Vishal Bhardwaj talks to Sreedhar Pillai about his new film Omkara, based on Othello

ASTUTE CASTING Keeping popular taste in mind, Vishal Bhardwaj has roped in Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Viveik Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor, Konkana Sen, Bipasha Basuand Naseeruddin Shah for his big film, set in the badlands of Uttar Pradesh

Noted writer, director and music director Vishal Bhardwaj has once again drawn inspiration from Shakespeare for his new film Omkara, which has opened. One of his earlier films, Maqbool, too was based on Shakespeare, Macbeth.

Vishal's first brush with direction was when he made a children's film Makdee. He then followed it with the critically acclaimed Maqbool. Then came an adaptation of Ruskin Bond's short story, The Blue Umbrella. And now, Vishal has just unveiled his big budget, curry western version of Othello, with the action revolving around a gang operating in western Uttar Pradesh.

The cast of Omkara is awesome — Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Viveik Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor, Konkana Sen, Bipasha Basu and Naseeruddin Shah. The music, screenplay and direction are all by Vishal.

A source of inspiration

"Shakespeare has always been a great source for filmmakers right from the silent era to the present. Besides, Othello is one of the playwright's greatest tragedies as it deals with strong human emotions integral to a drama — love, passion, jealousy, betrayal and crime," says Vishal.

The narrative focuses on Omi Shukla or Omkara (Ajay Devgan), one of the most feared and respected men as he runs an upper-caste youth force controlled by a shrewd politician Bhaisaab (Naseeruddin Shah).

Omi has two trusted lieutenants — Langda Tyagi (Saif Ali Khan) and Kesu Uphadhyay (Viveik Oberoi). Dolly (Kareena Kapoor), an incurable romantic, has eloped with Omi who is much older than her.

Meanwhile, a power struggle takes place in the gang as Omi decides to name Kesu the next in command. This wounds the ambitious Langda. Seething with rage and with envy, he hatches a plot a la Iago in Othello with petty insinuations, which lead to Kesu falling out of favour with Omi and being kicked out of the gang. He is forced to seek pardon through Dolly, which sets off Langda's plot in motion. Insidiously, he poisons Omi's mind, leading him to believe Dolly is having an affair with Kesu. And this leads to the final confrontation.

Says Vishal: "Ever since my Maqbool days, I have been fascinated by Shakespearean plays. The power of his narration lies in the fact that his characters are so real and human that they can be made relevant to any time and era."

Vishal, who spent his childhood in small-town Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, decided to set the story there. The character `Langda' Tyagi is based on a childhood friend who later became a well-known gangster in the area.

Wild West look

Vishal says about the film's Wild West feel: "The mood of the film was deliberately chosen to resemble those dusty Westerns of the 1960s."

The casting was in keeping the characters in mind, such as Ajay Devgan who has a tough-as-nails presence, an unspoken authority and righteousness that characterise Othello. Similarly, Saif was chosen to play Iago as his character is chameleon-like and physically tough. In Kareena, Vishal found his Desdemona, a perfect balance between innocence and sensuality.

It remains to be seen if Omkara will prove to be Vishal Bhardwaj's big ticket to Bollywood commercial cinema.

There have been many adaptations of Shakespeare's Othello down the years in Hollywood. We too have had a shot at it with animpressive 1997 Malayalam adaptation, Kaliyattom, directed by Jayaraj. It was a brilliant film made against the backdrop of theyyam, the powerfully visual performing art form of north Malabar. Suresh Gopi bagged the National Award for the lead role in the film.

Recently, theatre director Roysten Abel presented his In Othello, a screen adaptation of his staged version.

And now comes Vishal Bhardwaj's much awaited Omkarawith its multi-star cast and adapted to suit the taste of Bollywood audiences with some haunting folksy melodies. This film is also the maiden venture of Eros International, the entertainment company and the biggest distributors of Bollywood films; Shemaroo Films, home video distributors, and Kumar Mangat, Ajay Devgan's long-time manager.

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