First of all, I'll start off by saying that Omkara isn't a classic or a masterpiece, but came awfully close to being one. It has a great story, adapted from Shakespeare's brilliant 'Othello', great dialogues, a good screenplay, excellent performances, and great music. It starts off quite well, and the ending is a thing of class. But the middle act seems muddled and a little slow. What I appreciate the most, however, is the effort put forth by director Vishal Bhardwaj and his team. Each and every single shot seems carefully thought out, and orchestrated. Tassaduq Hussain makes his debut as DP here but you wouldn't know it..the great Conrad Hall would've been proud had he watched this movie if he was still alive. The music by Bhardwaj has a great vibe to it, and editing is certainly on par, even though some scenes seem way too long. I read a comment by a user saying that Bhardwaj embellished his dialogues with profanity to attract the college going crowd. I vehemently disagree with that. Bhardwaj simply tried to make the movie seem as authentic and realistic as possible because the story is set in UP -- a state we all know is not especially known for law & order. The performances are brilliant. Ajay Devgan does it again, and although you might have a feeling of 'seen-him-do-that-before', he's understated & solid throughout the movie. Vivek Oberoi doesn't have a whole lot to do, but I thought he shined in the scenes where he's given the opportunity. The scene where he bashes up the guy in the car when he's not exactly in the greatest frame of mind is well executed from a technical standpoint. I went into the movie thinking I needed Kareena Kapoor to impress me, and wow! she did. She displays an entire plethora of emotions & expressions and delivers a standout performance. Never thought she had it in her. Konkona Sen Sharma is her usual brilliant self. She doesn't have a lot of scenes, but manages to leave us in awe of her enormous acting talent. Bipasha Basu & Naseeruddin Shah have what you can call 'extended guest appearances', but are adequate nonetheless. The real standout here, though, is Mr Saif Ali Khan. Never been a great fan of him, although I certainly knew he was quite a capable actor after watching Dil Chahta Hai, Ek Hasina Thi, Hum Tum, & Parineeta. But here, he delivers a powerhouse performance that is the stuff of Bollywood history! His performance is the kind of rare tour-de-force that you don't get to see that often from actors. To be honest, he has the best character to play with in Iago - certainly one of the most fascinating Shakespearean characters. But his raw, spellbinding performance will leave you speechless. Within minutes into the initial reels in the movie, you'll know you're in for a treat. Watch Omkara because it is something different from the usual crap-fest that Bollywood serves up. After Rang De Basanti & Gangster, this is the best Bollywood movie to come out this year. Watch Omkara, because Vishal Bhardwaj is a class apart from peers like Karan Johar & Sanjay Gupta. Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna is still unreleased, but I can assure you that you'll find Omkara to be ten times better than KANK.
Review of Omkara
