Jithin K Mohan Bharadhwaj knows how to takes a Shakespeare tragedy and make it completely his own version rooted firmly in Indian soil. The ensemble cast is brilliant in outperforming each other at every given opportunity it's impossible to praise just one of them. Music by Bharadwaj himself is atmospheric along with the cinematography. The lyrics to the songs were also amazing as in they all foreshadow the coming events of this version of Othello. The only small problem I felt was in the editing and the fact that I am not a big fan of Othello itself. Even though I understand Hindi, due to heavy dialects used I was missing some words and used an English subtitle and it does no justice to the wonderful dialogue in the film. I don't know if there are better subtitles but, with the one I used, someone who doesn't understand Hindi wouldn't even have half the impact of the movie.

CinemaClown Omkara is Vishal Bhardwaj's "Wild West" version of William Shakespeare's 17th century classic, "Othello", where the action is set against the milieu of political warfare in the interiors of Uttar Pradesh. It is a classic theme of love, deception, jealousy and passion.Omkara (Ajay Devgan) is a gifted chieftain who heads a gang of outlaws, including the crafty Langda Tyagi(Saif Ali Khan) and the dynamic Kesu(Viveik Oberoi) amongst his chief cohorts. Langda's pride is slighted when Omi appoints Kesu as his chief lieutenant. Raging with envy, he hatches a plot to falsely implicate Omi's beautiful fiancé Dolly (Kareena Kapoor), in an illicit affair with Omi's 'favourite lieutenant' Kesu. Using petty insinuations and lies, Langda keeps poisoning Omi's mind till one day he snaps and goes amok tearing up his secure world, leading up to a horrific tragedy.Vishal Bhardwaj creates the perfect setting for the film with a combination of great music, wonderful cinematography and a relentlessly dark atmosphere. This is a director who knows what he is doing and is a master at it. Maqbool(his previous directional feature) was brilliant, no doubt about that, but with Omkara, Vishal cements his place among the bests in directing world.Dark theme, strong language, taut script, brilliantly executed drama sequences and its cast.. that's Omkara. Ajay Devgan & Kareena Kapoor deliver one of their finest performances. Viveik Oberoi didn't have much screen time but he still justified his character pretty well. Konkona Sen Sharma was stunning as Indu and her performance was surprisingly even better than Ajay and Kareena, in my opinion.But, the best part of Omkara is Saif Ali Khan, who delivers the most smashing performance of his film career, as Langda Tyagi. Show-stealer in every scene, the rawness in his quotes and evil in his looks are sure to leave you speechless. It's one of the greatest performances of all time and Langda Tyagi do ranks as, possibly, the finest villain ever in Hindi film industry. You just cant hate this performance even if you want to.. its that good.One of the finest Hindi movies of its decade, Omkara is an exquisite work of art, with each person putting in their best. It is a classic, setting new standards, in storytelling and film-making in Indian film industry. Watch it for Saif if you can't for someone else. This is a performance of a lifetime. And movies like Omkara are made once in years. So better don't miss it.

alkarania I always appreciate it when Indian directors try to make films that aren't just another tired Bollywood musical. There's nothing inherently wrong with musicals, but does every Indian film have to be one? That said, the whole premise of Omkara didn't quite work for me. Othello was a noble character - a soldier, a hero. You could understand why Desdemona would love him. Omkara was not noble - he was a gangster. Why did Dolly love him?It was harder to empathise with Omkara and his downfall after you see him being a thug. You wonder what the delicate and sheltered Dolly would possibly have in common with him.

manjits I didn't have much expectations of Omkara; had never heard of Vishal Bharadwaj; expected another violent Bollywood pot-boiler. Turned out, it's one of the most accomplished Bollywood films of all times. Vishal Bharadwaj is an artiste of highest caliber, and succeeded beyond expectations in all the areas - direction, screenplay and music - he has put his stamp on. The screenplay, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello in the rustic setting of Uttar Pradesh's crime-ridden politics, is spell-binding, and could match the best of Kurosawa. The dialogues in Bhojpuri dialect are no doubt foul and vulgar in the extreme to match the setting, but to those who can understand the dialect, the humour is fascinating, and the dialogues possibly the best ever in the history of Hindi films. Unfortunately, the subtitles can't do justice to all the nuances of the dialogues. The most awe-inspiring aspect of the movie is the fantastic performances from all the cast, but above all by Saif Ali Khan as Langda Tyagi (Iago). From what I had seen of Saif Ali Khan in Dil Chahta Hai, Salaam Namaste, Ham Tum, Parineeta and others before this movie, I would never ever have imagined him in this role, let alone expect an epoch-making performance. He was more famous for his lineage - the incredibly gifted Sharmila Tagore who withered away her talent in Bollywood, her more famous Nobel-laureate grandfather Rabindra Nath Tagore, and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi the notable Indian cricket captain of yester years - than for his acting prowess. Well, am I surprised? To put it in perspective, I could recall 2 past performances in Hindi cinema, which were bolts out of the blue - Amjad Khan in Sholey and Kanhaiya Lal in Gunga Jamuna. The one from Saif Ali Khan in Omkara is a volcanic eruption. Mind you, Ajay Devgan has given the best performance of his career in the title role, so it's not as if there was no competition. The credit must go to the director as well - it was an inspired casting. I can't wait to see other movies of Vishal Bharadwaj, and of Saif Ali Khan, even though I know I'll probably be disappointed.