Omkara looks, feels and smells authentic. When gang wars break out on the rusty roads of a small town in Uttar Pradesh among Omkara, his mentor Bhaisaab (Naseeruddin Shah) and Omkara’s two favourite disciples Kesu (Vivek Oberoi) and Langda Tyagi (Saif Ali Khan) and their opponents, you’re no longer watching the characters, you’re looking at a world where Shakespeare must sound like a spear that shakes. Delving deep into the bowels of north Indian politics, Vishal Bharadwaj comes up with a gallery of virile characters who jump out of their literary antecedents and do a dance of crime-driven dynamics on the nozzle of their country-made guns.
Besides the fact that he has cast superstars as characters, Vishal’s biggest achievement is the irony that underlines the murky goings-on in the hellish political cauldron of the cow-belt: these are boorish guys driven by a literary background of which they are clueless.
Shakespeare is as alien to Vishal’s characters as a creative compromise would be to this filmmaker. Vishal hits you hard and long with his political parable. The most interesting exchanges among the characters are the ones that describe the dynamics of gender and politics in a world where laws are made to be broken.
Omkara is back in movie theatres, and Vivek Oberoi couldn’t be happier.
Vivek Oberoi, who got to sink his teeth in his role of the desi Cassio, relives the experience.
Vivek, your performance in Omkara is remembered to this day?
Sometimes, magic just happens on a film set, and most creative people spend an eternity hoping to be a part of that magic. I was lucky that Vishalbhai roped me in to play Kesu Firangi in a stellar cast onscreen, and we became good friends off-screen.
You shot the film in a village in Uttar Pradesh?
It was amazing to live in that entire village recreated by Kumar Mangatji, who was incredibly passionate about this film.
You had a ball shooting ‘Beedi’?
Even today, when I hear ‘Beedi’ play, it brings back so many fond memories. The ability to adapt Shakespeare so natively that it feels like a story of India’s hinterland is an incredible accomplishment for the entire team. Vishal Bhai’s melodies and Gulzar Saab’s lyrics are always magical.
What was it like shooting with Saif Ali Khan and Ajay Devgan?
Ajay and Saif were like big brothers on set, and from pranks to poetry, we experienced it all in that tiny hamlet.
Your favourite Omkara memory?
One of my most favorite memories was learning to play the guitar in between shots, being helped with the chords by Saif, so I can, on screen, teach Bebo to serenade, they weren’t a couple then but destiny got them together later in life. So many wonderful memories.
Your performance was widely appreciated.
When I won best supporting actor for my performance, I truly felt it wasn’t possible without every single member of the team. I feel so much gratitude to be a part of such a classic.
