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Omkara
RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £5.61 (subject to change)
BBC - Are you out there?
Review date: 2007-08-05 Rating: 10 out of 10
Omkara is another landmark in the rapid technical and production capabilities of the Indian film industry in the last five years. This is the best version of Othello I've seen since the Branagh production and in many ways is superior - the acting is less stylised for example. Every A-level student studying the play should see this movie.
You need to watch the movie twice to recognise the importance of each scene in the narrative so you certainly get your money's worth - in fact, I've seen it three times now and actually enjoyed it more each time, focussing my attention on different characters and their motivation during each retelling. "Why would Langda's wife love him?" for example, "Ah yes! I can see it now!"
Other reviewers have commented on the astonishing performance of Saif Ali Khan, one of the World's great actors - but everyone puts in a performance way above the norm - Bipasha Basu, for example, shows greater depth of characterisation than she is normally allowed to demonstrate. The photography, the editing are all fantastic - the director Vishal Bardwaj deserves to have an international reputation.
So where is the BBC? It seems to have wilfully ignored Indian movies in the past. The fact that it is continuing to do so now in the presence of such talent as Deepa Mehta, Aamir Khan and now Omkara makes you wonder what exactly they are doing with our licence fees - does the film department even bother to find out what's happening any more - the money's certainly no longer going on stretching the contemporary boundaries of public service broadcasting like it used to.
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Reviews
One word - Fantastic!
Review date: 2007-03-25 Rating: 10 out of 10
It's refreshing to see that some people in the Indian film industry have realised that Shakespeare did write plays, other than Romeo and Juliet.
Omkara is a little dark in nature, therefore, it might not appeal to the average Bollywood film fan. But its worth watching for the outstanding performances delivered by Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Ajay Devgan.
Omkara is a beautiful story of love and tragedy: for anyone who has read Shakespeare's Othello, this version will be simply delightful.
Othello in small-town India
Review date: 2007-02-28 Rating: 10 out of 10
This is a brilliant retelling of Othello, set in small-town India. Omkara (the Othello character) is the main enforcer for a local politician, Bhaisahab. The trouble starts when Omkara needs to appoint his successor and chooses Kesu (Cassio) to succeed him, rather than Langda (Iago). Langda is furious and takes his revenge on both men by poisoning Omkara's mind with suggestions of an affair between Kesu and Omkara's lover, Dolly. The acting is excellent--Saif Ali Khan is excellent as Langda, and so is Ajay Devgan as Omkara. Vivek Oberoi as Kesu, Konkona Sen Sharma as Indu (Langda's wife) and Naseeruddin Shah as Bhaisahab are also very good. And Kareena Kapoor is very convincing as the naive, trusting Dolly. The director, Vishal Bharadwaj, also wrote the screenplay and the music.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Vivek Oberoi
Kareena Kapoor
Saif Ali Khan
Ajay Devgan
Bipasha Basu
Creators:
Saif Ali Khan (Primary Contributor)
Kareena Kapoor (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Eros International
Manufacturer: Eros International
EAN: 5055179412043
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2006-09-25
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Running time: 152 minutes
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Hindi (Original Language)