Omkara- A Tale of A Green-Eyed Monster

There is more to Saif Ali Khan than the air of a nawab and that nasal whine that is so gimmicked these days.

The man is an actor who has built his bones, literally after a string of failures. From the fair-faced, bland lad of the worst of the 90s movies, he transformed into the all-too-relatable youngster next door Samir in the incredible 'Dil Chahta Hai' and then became the archetype of the eternal sidekick, the third angle in every love triangle and he did exceptionally well at that. Even his solo roles are the very opposite of showboating and self-aggrandizing; rather they see him as low-key, commited and always charming. Yet, the man reserved his simmering edge for the roles that mattered the most, the films that made the most noise- the envious, hard-nosed yet gushingly romantic Shekhar of 'Parineeta', the slickly devilish scoundrel of 'Ek Hasina Thi', the murdering liar of 'Being Cyrus' and..and….

Rest easy. I will not forget Saif's finest hour as an actor- the one film that made everyone realise that there is definitely more to this man than just the veneer of urbanity- boy, this man can definitely be a truly unforgettable villain.

Credit goes to Vishal Bhardwaj, a solid two-film old director nearly ten years back who had cemented something of a reputation as a wunderkind- a melodious composer, a blazingly energetic director and an equally talented writer all rolled into one. And just when mainstream cinema was reaching its nadir, then came Bhardwaj's big gun- a film featuring a cast of stars rubbing shoulders with ace performers and a couple of intriguing new faces here and there and a film which broke every conceivable boundary of mainstream cinema, telling a Shakespearean tragedy in a tough-to-stomach format, bringing a sense of hyper-realism in its profanity-laden world and its unrelenting intensity.

'Omkara', then, is a film that deserves celebrating, the same way we celebrate a film like, say, 'Pulp Fiction' or 'Goodfellas' or 'The Godfather'- because like how these films altered the landscape of cinema, this film did the same and ended up creating a whole new sub-genre- the thrilling rural noir. Even today in incredible triumphs like 'Gangs of Wasseypur' and 'Manorama- Six Feet Under', you can hear its echos, you can see its unmistakable influences.

A lot has been talked about the ingeniously crafted narrative, the way it brings a wonderful perspective to the casteist politics of the mofussil northern hinterland of the country without ever resorting to redundant commentary. Bhardwaj wrote the film alongside veteran Bollywood writer Robin Bhatt and newbie and associate director Abhishek Chaubey, who would further helm the dashing 'Ishqiya' movies and it is the blend of pulpy masala and earthy flavor that makes the resulting cocktail both dramatically entertaining, in its own leisurely, brooding fashion, as well as paradigm-altering credibility to the stylish flourishes.

The plot is as Shakespeare had it- more or less- recast here as a stark indictment of not just caste politics but of the male-dominated society of the hinterland as well as the primitive notions of sexuality and marriage in these parts. What makes 'Omkara' really delightful for the true buffs of the Bard is the way it both sticks and deviates from the template. Today, when I have started poring over 'Othello' as well as Shakespeare's other works, it is really enthralling to see how well the film stays loyal to the themes and intended tone even as it makes little but crucial deviations in terms of characters and plot proceedings.

For instance, the play begins with Roderigo and Iago having a conversation, after which the two inform Brabantio of his daughter Desdemona's abduction by the Moor Othello. Bhardwaj ingeniously recasts the same scene with a lethally hilarious twist- Rajju is Dolly's prospective bride and his erstwhile friend Langda Tyagi forces him to cry foul over his own wedding procession. It is little tweaks and quirks like this in the original source formula that make 'Omkara' both loyal as well as a work of its own style and snap. Redundant characters are often wrapped up into single characters and entities- like the politician Bhaisaab serving as both the Duke and his Senate while the film often turns violent, the climax made more gruesome to add a generous dash of stylish but hard-hitting brutality to add flourish to the drama. But the loyalty admirably remains as well- the wordplay often styled and tweaked around the lines spoken in the play and after all, Omi's love for Dolly is both a possessive obsession as well as implicitly instrumental into his fame and recognition, despite his disputed parentage and lineage.

For all the narrative ingenuity, this is also a film of masterful direction. Bhardwaj played fast and loose with 'Maqbool' and while that is overall a film of greater complexity and searing intelligence, he brings a sense of subtlety and calm restraint to 'Omkara'. The film does explode, and rather magnificently, with its dazzling craft (Tassaduq Hussain's mesmerizing and aesthetic cinematography along with Samir Chanda's earthy sets and backdrops) and the riveting intensity of the plot's big twists and reveals portrayed with dazzling mastery of emotion. But this is also a relaxed, fluidly coherent and nuanced film- the way it pauses to capture little quirky details- a gangster frisking a policeman before allowing entry, women bonding over cooking and laying bricks of dung on walls, political rivals toppled by sex tapes on mobile phones and more. There is a lot of deadpan comic mirth between the proceedings, with Bhardwaj's taste for incredible wordplay all too prevalent in the way he uses the Bard's material to create absolute masterstroke of writing- profane yet utterly poetic and spoken with real relish, the grime and rustic fragrance oozing from the lines.

Finally, there are the magnificent performances to talk of. It is hard to imagine anyone else as the conflicted Moore other than Ajay Devgn in a performance that might be called as his last real act before his nose-dive into the nonsense of Rohit Shetty outings. His is a simmering and searing Omkara, full of integrity and tough conviction but fatally prone to demons out of his control. Kareena Kapoor looks adequately tranquil and vulnerable as a virginal Dolly while Viveik Oberoi's Kesu Firangi makes for a believably non-plussed Cassio  yet stays admirably prudent throughout. Ace performers Naseeruddin Shah and Konkona Sen Sharma show up in pivotal, if a tad small, parts that crackle- Sharma, in particular, is outstanding as this film's Emilia- and Deepak Dobriyal's Rajju is a character you wish the film made more use of, propelled with a fascinating despair that makes his character so believably morbid. And then there is Saif Ali Khan.

It is a marvel to see what the actor makes of Iago. Egged on by Bhardwaj to push himself to whimsical physical extremes, (the shaved head, the painted nails and that authentic limp) and yet totally in the repulsive skin of his twisted and devilish character, Khan is simply unforgettable as Langda Tyagi, making sure that we remember his bizarre name more than his real name, which might be Ishwar. Sure, he rules the roost of the film, it is he who lends the film its crackling fireworks, its seething evil and also its beating heart of darkness. Spouting the expletives with glee yet totally rocking those silent moments when he locks his searing gaze at the people around him, here is a man nothing less than a chameleon in the crowd. We can't turn away from him even as he revels in the glory of his own devious mind.

'Omkara' might be worth watching for a master actor at play alone. This is of course not detracting from the film's incredible virtues- its craft, its Shakespearean poetry, its outrageous tenor and its splendid histrionics- even as there are a few niggles here and there (Oberoi's Firangi deserved more meat, as does Bipasha Basu's simmering Billo). But forget the nitpicking- this is a fantastic film and yes, one extraordinary tale of one hell of a green-eyed monster.