omkara, or othello in the rustic hindi heartland.
The DVD of Omkara came through my mailbox yesterday and, well, wow.
The write-up behind cut contains spoilers and is also extremely lengthy, over 2,000 words according to OpenOffice (hey, I like to talk about movies).
It's really quite difficult to enter a film that people are praising through to roof and to the heavens, and just generally being nuts about. I couldn't afford going in thinking this would be the best film ever made and then being disappointed when it doesn't turn out to be all that amazing. I do admit there was a point in this film where Langda's deliciously evil scheming hadn't really begun properly and I found myself sitting there, slightly underwhelmed. Like, “Wow, why was this movie so hyped?”. But gladly the film picked up soon after and won me over completely.
It's not the perfect movie because I sincerely doubt any movie is, but it does come pretty damn near close to being perfect. So let me do the boring “aspect by aspect” review of the film before I get into the discussions witnessed earlier in this thread.
Soundtrack - love it. Love it even more now, when I have the visuals attached to the incredible sounds.
O Saathi Re and the classic lovers-chasing-each-other scene which was just adorable and touching, really well-shot as well, I just loved the way the house looked, so genuinely Indian (reminded me of Southie films, actually).
Beedi and the incredibly raunchy but 100% poetic lyrics and Bipasha looking - the pun I told myself I wouldn't make - smoking hot. Saif's aggressive dancing creeped me out in this video, and Vivek made a very convincing drunk.
Jag Ja - the song that left me cold on the first, second and third listens turned out to be the most touching, most incredibly used song in the whole film. It seemed so much like just a filler (“Oh let's throw in this song where he tries to get her to wake up! So cute and romantic, something for the masala lovers to feast on!”) and yet the lyrics. Oh hurty. Beedi is my 2nd top played song on iTunes (wow, correction - it is now my most-played song on iTunes, one listen ahead of Something Something from NVN) ... I foresee Jag Ja rising into the Top 10 very soon.
Naina was used in a completely different context than what I would've predicted and yet it has that shot of Omi falling into Dolly's arms, all wet and bloody and it's just. God, I love that shot. From that moment on, their love was true to me. That's all it took. I can't even explain it.
The songs could've been the high points of the film, had Omkara been more mediocre a movie. Thankfully this wasn't the case.
Direction/Story/Dialogues - I don't have many complaints to hand over to Vishalji (Bharadwaj, the director/writer). He's done an overall fantastic job. The film does however include one flaw that is quite common to Hindi films at times - lack of introduction. The story jumps in quite quick with all the happenings and it took me a while to understand that even though these guys are out-laws, they also have political power. Of course, it hardly has any huge importance in the film since the story is more personal drama/tragedy but still, bugged me a little. There could've been a better introduction sequence.. Not all of us have lived in Uttar Pradesh and know this environment and its people.
I'm a great fan of dialects, accents and slangs, even of languages which I cannot understand. If I hear a Swiss person speak German, I am fascinated. I poke fun at my friends who speak an East-Finnish dialect but in reality I love it. Realistic dialogues with regional speak is always a thing of beauty and I picked up on the difference in language in Omkara immediately. I'm also a fan of cursing. I know that sounds weird but it's sort of an art form in its own, and it's such a vital, reflective part of any language (even though it's bad manners and also quite a bad habit to begin with). To have that in Omkara is just an understandable decision. These guys would say crude things and joke about screwing. Outlaws, not a boy choir.
The adaptation just works. Vishal Bharadwaj wrote what he knew and it shows.
Cinematography - Oh, gee, I don't know. Gorgeous? I'm trying to think of favourite shots, besides the obvious Omi beginning/ending parallel shots, and nearly all of the Omi/Dolly moments and ..Oh, Langda walking away in the police uniform, and Indu at the end, like something from a horror film - a woman betrayed with smudged make-up and hate in her eyes.
Christ I need to re-watch this film.
I'll screencap this film eventually but before that, here's one beautiful shot of Kareena I am in love with.
From the song Naina.
Performances (And much blab about the characters.)
Ajay Devgan (Omkara) - Solid. More than solid, really. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside, he displayed all sides of the character perfectly. I don't believe it's his movie as much as it should be perhaps but he's fantastic despite. Especially in the final scenes, delivering those words to Langda and then Kesu, and lying besides the “sleeping” Dolly and singing Jag Ja.. Oh, hurty-achey. As a side note, his abs were also very solid. I was oddly mesmerized and rather surprised. What's Kajol feeding him? Not raw eggs I hope (Fanaa spoiler-threadders know what I speak of ;) ).
Kareena Kapoor (Dolly) - Effing amazing. So much conveyed with just looks and facial expressions, and she brings out Dolly's inner naivety with such charm and innocence, it's amazing to watch. Dolly is the true tragedy of Omkara, this girl who just loves and loves and loves, and doesn't see these things happening around her and can't do anything to set them right and then submits to the one she loves, her life is his to take. She loves and her love is pure. As for Kareena... Well, I'm keeping a close watch on her from now on. The Mani Ratnam film, Vishal's next with her and possibly Saif... She's blossoming, or blooming, or just really damn good. To hate Kareena may have been cool in 2001 but that period is over, one would be a fool not to give her credit for this role.
My favourite scene with her besides the part where Omi confronts her has to be the song scene. She's so full of devotion and love for this man, and it's so adorable and yet you want her to understand why he's suspicious that she's playing Kesu's guitar and he obviously taught her the song, but she's just so pure you can't blame her. I love how the scene gets scary and menacing, and then switches back to romantic mode.
Vivek Oberoi (Kesu) - I'm not a huge fan of this guy but he does deliver a great performance here. His character is just a chess piece in Langda's wicked play but everything in his life is wrecked because of it, his love and his position. You can't help but feel bad for the guy as he tries to make things right (puppy eyes at Omi included), all while trusting Langda like his brother. I especially liked the scene where he flirts with Billo, liked the dialogue there, and just the general vibe of the scene. It was so cute.
Bipasha Basu (Billo) - Hot. Also really liked how realistic the character seemed, the glamour girl is not always glamour, she too has an ordinary house and has to hang up her laundry. Small but nice role. I don't care if she's only got three dance moves in this film, I still really enjoy those picturizations.
Konkona Sen Sharma - Scene-stealing, not just for the dialogues but also the sheer energy she brings to the screen. I love the character, sharp, strong-willed and fun. The change in the ending is just right - she seems to have a very equal partnership with Langda and to know she's been screwed over like that, she wouldn't take it quietly and I feel like Langda wouldn't have killed her, either. He would've trusted his manipulation to work on her, probably. Also, Langda as a character just seemed really puzzled by the end, he was obviously expecting Omi to off him for his actions but Omi didn't, so Langda didn't really know what was going to happen to him. Sorry, got a bit sidetracked there. Either way, yeah, one of the top roles in the film.
Naseeruddin Shah (Bhaisaab) - Effortless. That's pretty much it. He could act this role even if he was on holiday. Just like that.
Saif Ali Khan (Langda) - Disappointing. A hair cut, some colour on his teeth and a weird walk, and suddenly everybody's screaming National Award. Come on, guys, really? Was it really such a big friggin' deal?
Okay, did that fool any of you? Nah, didn't think so. I'm too obvious. But seriously speaking, I knew this performance was going to be good but I was actually somewhat surprised by it and how good it actually turned out to be. I knew what to expect but it still exceeded my expectations in some ways.
The first thing I noticed was his voice. It really sounded nothing like him, and it wasn't just the language, there was something about his voice he definitely worked on because it sounded all .. I can't really describe it. It sounded dirty, slimy, gritty. He seemed to snarl some lines instead of saying them. It was pretty neat, really. Langda really does come off as evil incarnate, a snake.
And it's true, he definitely has a powerful presence on-screen, even when he's not there. There's a certain menace to his size and little by little the character becomes scarier and scarier. Langda at first sight is just this rural brute who swears and is really nasty but there's nothing to suggest there's a great evil there, capable of ruining multiple lives when the opportunity presents itself to him. He's just this outlaw who's loyal to his leader and treats his fellow outlaws like brothers (when Bhaisaab asks after the ceremony, “What about Langda?”, Omi replies, “Langda is like a brother”). Then comes the turning point after which he begins to loathe Omkara and wants to bring him and Kesu to an end.
People always speculate what makes Iago evil, some interpret the original play and say it's the alleged Emilia-Othello affair, others suggest impotence, someone up-thread mentioned Iago actually loving Othello... To me it's very interesting to try and wrap my brain around. What makes Langda evil? I'd like to say he's the classic villain - there is no justification for his evilness, he just is evil and capable of things most people aren't. It's in his nature. His motivation? Probably wounded ego. Such a thing is a grave matter to a guy like Langda who has nothing but his status. To have someone chosen over you, upgraded into a position you've always wanted, of course it hurts. And the hate festers inside of him for a while (the mirror scene, holy crap!), and soon he acts as in his nature, manipulating the people around him, playing them like puppets like he probably always has, just never with the purpose of completely destroying them and their lives.
It's so incredibly evil we can't understand it but it just shows we're not like him in nature. He's a vile creature, but the reason why some of us as viewers felt contradicted because we sometimes quite liked him, other times we were yelling “NOOOOO!!” at the screen. I guess it's just that Langda at first appearance is not a bad guy. He's nastier than Omi or Kesu, he's definitely less likable than the other characters but he only becomes evil when you realize where his scheming is leading to, the tragedy of the way all of these characters will meet their fates.
Issues and Non-Issues (aka things addressed in the Omkara spoiler thread over at BollyWHAT? since this post is essentially what I posted there.)
- Re: Omkara, the unsuccessful Othello - agreed. That was one theme that was definitely altered. I don't think it hurts the movie but it does make me reconsider the title - should it have been Issak after all? I think the tragedy of Omkara gets replaced with tragedy of Dolly, as I mentioned earlier. She's the innocence that gets destroyed and it really breaks your heart to think about it.
- Re: Drugspotting - I'm usually a fan of details but this one I don't really care for. Wasn't Langda's “drug use” just one small bit in a small scene? He didn't seem coked up or on meth at any point to me. No doubt might he be using a little at some point, sometimes, but it didn't really seem like a big deal at all.
In conclusion - My general opinion of the film is somewhere between “really liked it” and “loved it”. A re-watch will probably tell me how much I truly liked this film and whether it can survive re-watches and still blow me away as it did - also, as jhana pointed out to me on MSN ones, it may be tad too depressing to re-watch, not exactly a feel-good Bolly entertainer, this one. Either way, it has already made it on my favourites list.
The write-up behind cut contains spoilers and is also extremely lengthy, over 2,000 words according to OpenOffice (hey, I like to talk about movies).
It's really quite difficult to enter a film that people are praising through to roof and to the heavens, and just generally being nuts about. I couldn't afford going in thinking this would be the best film ever made and then being disappointed when it doesn't turn out to be all that amazing. I do admit there was a point in this film where Langda's deliciously evil scheming hadn't really begun properly and I found myself sitting there, slightly underwhelmed. Like, “Wow, why was this movie so hyped?”. But gladly the film picked up soon after and won me over completely.
It's not the perfect movie because I sincerely doubt any movie is, but it does come pretty damn near close to being perfect. So let me do the boring “aspect by aspect” review of the film before I get into the discussions witnessed earlier in this thread.
Soundtrack - love it. Love it even more now, when I have the visuals attached to the incredible sounds.
O Saathi Re and the classic lovers-chasing-each-other scene which was just adorable and touching, really well-shot as well, I just loved the way the house looked, so genuinely Indian (reminded me of Southie films, actually).
Beedi and the incredibly raunchy but 100% poetic lyrics and Bipasha looking - the pun I told myself I wouldn't make - smoking hot. Saif's aggressive dancing creeped me out in this video, and Vivek made a very convincing drunk.
Jag Ja - the song that left me cold on the first, second and third listens turned out to be the most touching, most incredibly used song in the whole film. It seemed so much like just a filler (“Oh let's throw in this song where he tries to get her to wake up! So cute and romantic, something for the masala lovers to feast on!”) and yet the lyrics. Oh hurty. Beedi is my 2nd top played song on iTunes (wow, correction - it is now my most-played song on iTunes, one listen ahead of Something Something from NVN) ... I foresee Jag Ja rising into the Top 10 very soon.
Naina was used in a completely different context than what I would've predicted and yet it has that shot of Omi falling into Dolly's arms, all wet and bloody and it's just. God, I love that shot. From that moment on, their love was true to me. That's all it took. I can't even explain it.
The songs could've been the high points of the film, had Omkara been more mediocre a movie. Thankfully this wasn't the case.
Direction/Story/Dialogues - I don't have many complaints to hand over to Vishalji (Bharadwaj, the director/writer). He's done an overall fantastic job. The film does however include one flaw that is quite common to Hindi films at times - lack of introduction. The story jumps in quite quick with all the happenings and it took me a while to understand that even though these guys are out-laws, they also have political power. Of course, it hardly has any huge importance in the film since the story is more personal drama/tragedy but still, bugged me a little. There could've been a better introduction sequence.. Not all of us have lived in Uttar Pradesh and know this environment and its people.
I'm a great fan of dialects, accents and slangs, even of languages which I cannot understand. If I hear a Swiss person speak German, I am fascinated. I poke fun at my friends who speak an East-Finnish dialect but in reality I love it. Realistic dialogues with regional speak is always a thing of beauty and I picked up on the difference in language in Omkara immediately. I'm also a fan of cursing. I know that sounds weird but it's sort of an art form in its own, and it's such a vital, reflective part of any language (even though it's bad manners and also quite a bad habit to begin with). To have that in Omkara is just an understandable decision. These guys would say crude things and joke about screwing. Outlaws, not a boy choir.
The adaptation just works. Vishal Bharadwaj wrote what he knew and it shows.
Cinematography - Oh, gee, I don't know. Gorgeous? I'm trying to think of favourite shots, besides the obvious Omi beginning/ending parallel shots, and nearly all of the Omi/Dolly moments and ..Oh, Langda walking away in the police uniform, and Indu at the end, like something from a horror film - a woman betrayed with smudged make-up and hate in her eyes.
Christ I need to re-watch this film.
I'll screencap this film eventually but before that, here's one beautiful shot of Kareena I am in love with.
From the song Naina.
Performances (And much blab about the characters.)
Ajay Devgan (Omkara) - Solid. More than solid, really. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside, he displayed all sides of the character perfectly. I don't believe it's his movie as much as it should be perhaps but he's fantastic despite. Especially in the final scenes, delivering those words to Langda and then Kesu, and lying besides the “sleeping” Dolly and singing Jag Ja.. Oh, hurty-achey. As a side note, his abs were also very solid. I was oddly mesmerized and rather surprised. What's Kajol feeding him? Not raw eggs I hope (Fanaa spoiler-threadders know what I speak of ;) ).
Kareena Kapoor (Dolly) - Effing amazing. So much conveyed with just looks and facial expressions, and she brings out Dolly's inner naivety with such charm and innocence, it's amazing to watch. Dolly is the true tragedy of Omkara, this girl who just loves and loves and loves, and doesn't see these things happening around her and can't do anything to set them right and then submits to the one she loves, her life is his to take. She loves and her love is pure. As for Kareena... Well, I'm keeping a close watch on her from now on. The Mani Ratnam film, Vishal's next with her and possibly Saif... She's blossoming, or blooming, or just really damn good. To hate Kareena may have been cool in 2001 but that period is over, one would be a fool not to give her credit for this role.
My favourite scene with her besides the part where Omi confronts her has to be the song scene. She's so full of devotion and love for this man, and it's so adorable and yet you want her to understand why he's suspicious that she's playing Kesu's guitar and he obviously taught her the song, but she's just so pure you can't blame her. I love how the scene gets scary and menacing, and then switches back to romantic mode.
Vivek Oberoi (Kesu) - I'm not a huge fan of this guy but he does deliver a great performance here. His character is just a chess piece in Langda's wicked play but everything in his life is wrecked because of it, his love and his position. You can't help but feel bad for the guy as he tries to make things right (puppy eyes at Omi included), all while trusting Langda like his brother. I especially liked the scene where he flirts with Billo, liked the dialogue there, and just the general vibe of the scene. It was so cute.
Bipasha Basu (Billo) - Hot. Also really liked how realistic the character seemed, the glamour girl is not always glamour, she too has an ordinary house and has to hang up her laundry. Small but nice role. I don't care if she's only got three dance moves in this film, I still really enjoy those picturizations.
Konkona Sen Sharma - Scene-stealing, not just for the dialogues but also the sheer energy she brings to the screen. I love the character, sharp, strong-willed and fun. The change in the ending is just right - she seems to have a very equal partnership with Langda and to know she's been screwed over like that, she wouldn't take it quietly and I feel like Langda wouldn't have killed her, either. He would've trusted his manipulation to work on her, probably. Also, Langda as a character just seemed really puzzled by the end, he was obviously expecting Omi to off him for his actions but Omi didn't, so Langda didn't really know what was going to happen to him. Sorry, got a bit sidetracked there. Either way, yeah, one of the top roles in the film.
Naseeruddin Shah (Bhaisaab) - Effortless. That's pretty much it. He could act this role even if he was on holiday. Just like that.
Saif Ali Khan (Langda) - Disappointing. A hair cut, some colour on his teeth and a weird walk, and suddenly everybody's screaming National Award. Come on, guys, really? Was it really such a big friggin' deal?
Okay, did that fool any of you? Nah, didn't think so. I'm too obvious. But seriously speaking, I knew this performance was going to be good but I was actually somewhat surprised by it and how good it actually turned out to be. I knew what to expect but it still exceeded my expectations in some ways.
The first thing I noticed was his voice. It really sounded nothing like him, and it wasn't just the language, there was something about his voice he definitely worked on because it sounded all .. I can't really describe it. It sounded dirty, slimy, gritty. He seemed to snarl some lines instead of saying them. It was pretty neat, really. Langda really does come off as evil incarnate, a snake.
And it's true, he definitely has a powerful presence on-screen, even when he's not there. There's a certain menace to his size and little by little the character becomes scarier and scarier. Langda at first sight is just this rural brute who swears and is really nasty but there's nothing to suggest there's a great evil there, capable of ruining multiple lives when the opportunity presents itself to him. He's just this outlaw who's loyal to his leader and treats his fellow outlaws like brothers (when Bhaisaab asks after the ceremony, “What about Langda?”, Omi replies, “Langda is like a brother”). Then comes the turning point after which he begins to loathe Omkara and wants to bring him and Kesu to an end.
People always speculate what makes Iago evil, some interpret the original play and say it's the alleged Emilia-Othello affair, others suggest impotence, someone up-thread mentioned Iago actually loving Othello... To me it's very interesting to try and wrap my brain around. What makes Langda evil? I'd like to say he's the classic villain - there is no justification for his evilness, he just is evil and capable of things most people aren't. It's in his nature. His motivation? Probably wounded ego. Such a thing is a grave matter to a guy like Langda who has nothing but his status. To have someone chosen over you, upgraded into a position you've always wanted, of course it hurts. And the hate festers inside of him for a while (the mirror scene, holy crap!), and soon he acts as in his nature, manipulating the people around him, playing them like puppets like he probably always has, just never with the purpose of completely destroying them and their lives.
It's so incredibly evil we can't understand it but it just shows we're not like him in nature. He's a vile creature, but the reason why some of us as viewers felt contradicted because we sometimes quite liked him, other times we were yelling “NOOOOO!!” at the screen. I guess it's just that Langda at first appearance is not a bad guy. He's nastier than Omi or Kesu, he's definitely less likable than the other characters but he only becomes evil when you realize where his scheming is leading to, the tragedy of the way all of these characters will meet their fates.
Issues and Non-Issues (aka things addressed in the Omkara spoiler thread over at BollyWHAT? since this post is essentially what I posted there.)
- Re: Omkara, the unsuccessful Othello - agreed. That was one theme that was definitely altered. I don't think it hurts the movie but it does make me reconsider the title - should it have been Issak after all? I think the tragedy of Omkara gets replaced with tragedy of Dolly, as I mentioned earlier. She's the innocence that gets destroyed and it really breaks your heart to think about it.
- Re: Drugspotting - I'm usually a fan of details but this one I don't really care for. Wasn't Langda's “drug use” just one small bit in a small scene? He didn't seem coked up or on meth at any point to me. No doubt might he be using a little at some point, sometimes, but it didn't really seem like a big deal at all.
In conclusion - My general opinion of the film is somewhere between “really liked it” and “loved it”. A re-watch will probably tell me how much I truly liked this film and whether it can survive re-watches and still blow me away as it did - also, as jhana pointed out to me on MSN ones, it may be tad too depressing to re-watch, not exactly a feel-good Bolly entertainer, this one. Either way, it has already made it on my favourites list.