Vishal Bhardwaj is stylish and searching. Yet, his penchant for adapting Shakespeare is much more Mario Puzo than the great bard.
Omkara
Cast: Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan
Direction: Vishal Bhardwaj
Rating: ***
Cool-‘n’-casual: Strumming a guitar, she’s learning the lyrics of the pop ballad I just called to say I love you. So what if her guy can’t tell the difference between Stevie Wonder and Bori Bunder? Heart-bracingly, there are several such engaging moments. Maan gaye ustad.
Indeed Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara is outstandingly crafted, embellished by top calibre performances. And it expertly recreates the ambience of a lawless township in Uttar Pradesh.
The script zeroes in on the dramatis personae of Othello – which has spawned over 30 film versions right from the silent era. Intermittently, Bhardwaj catches the fatalism of Shakespeare’s tragedy, like the time a vulture drops an asp almost into a bride’s lap. Gasp.
In addition, there are heavy duty influences of Bandit Queen (note the downpour of mc, bc, chu-chu expletives), Prakash Jha’s Bihar-mein-gadbad diatribes and Goli maar bheje mein-ishtyle boozed-out boogies, performed in this case by Bipasha Basu with John Travolta-like policemen. Warning: don’t be a Shakespeare purist please. After all, the masala stew has its appetising morsels. Bon appetit.
For starters, Omi (Ajay Devgan) whisks away the fair and lovely Dolly (Kareena Kapoor, described as a barfi in a crow’s beak). Lotsa colour prejudice here between white-’n’- wheat.
Expectedly, Iago (Saif Ali Khan, camel-coloured teeth) – or is he Narad Muni? – sets up so many misunderstandings that our Omi wonders, “Is Dolly having a raada with anyone?” Meanie.
Dear Dolly, of course, is as innocent as a new-born lamb. Her sins are restricted to some touchy-feely jabs with Cassio aka Firangi (Viveik Oberoi). Out pops Mrs Iago (Konkona Sen Sharma), who’s quite adept with dirty jokes and those chu-chu words.
Truly, the first-half of the 18-reeler is absorbing, designer chic dark and bone-chillingly ominous. Wonderful.
Lucklessly, the second-half lacks content. Everyone’s fate, including the viewer’s, is sealed. Omi Othello, despite his razor sharp mind, cannot see through kindergarten machinations. Moreover, the sub-plot about Godpapa Netaji (Naseeruddin Shah) doesn’t advance the plot further.
As for Iago bhai’s drunken scene on a bridge, it goes on till kingdom come. And in all this hurly burly, sweetie-pooh Dolly’s characterisation remains one-dimensional.
Redeemingly, Mrs Iago steals the thunder. In fact, Ms Sen-Sharma’s level-headed performance is easily the most accomplished of the lot. Her use of the UP dialect and mood swings from stoicism to anger are superlative.
Of the cast, Saif Ali Khan is extraordinary, salaam namaste to his reptilian stealth and icy menace. Ajay Devgan is reliably intense, Kareena Kapoor projects the requisite amount of vulnerability while Viveik Oberoi is correctly restrained. Deepak Dobriyal as a jilted joker is a born-natural actor.
As a navtanki dancer Bipasha Basu is misdirected into dishing out a jarringly cosmeticised performance. Hilariously, the Bidi jalai le girl gets a coughing fit when ciggy smoke is puffed close to her nostrils.
On the techno-front Tassaduq Hussain’s cinematography is uncomprisingly gritty. The editing often allows the director to get away with tortoise-slooow footage. Occasionally, the dialogue borders on vulgarity (“Ghagre mein meeting kar raha tha”).Shockingly, Gulzar’s lyrics are just short of the Sarkailo khatiya kind of raunch.
In his capacity as a music composer, Vishal Bhardwaj’s songs either play to the gallery or are self-consciously arty. And those Hebrew-sounding chants in the background score are like Wagner in a Worli disco.
As a director, Bhardwaj is stylish and searching. Yet, his penchant for adapting Shakespeare (remember Macbeth bana Maqbool?) is much more Mario Puzo than the great bard . In all likelihood, marhoom Shakespeare saab won’t exactly be smiling from the heavens at this mafia-mohabbat interpretation.
Bottomline: Omkara deserves an A-grade for effort and B for achievement. Oh oh Othello.
khalid@dnaindia.net
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