Omkara, 2006 ★★★★★

Probably Bollywood would largely benefit from 'employing' Shakespeare as a screenwriter; at least that way we don't have to sit though half-baked screenplays that pass off as 'blockbuster movies' these days. I got back from watching Omkara, the much-discussed movie on the blogosphere. B Rangan has an excellent movie review; probably movie critics should take a cue from his nicely crafted piece. Without giving away any spoilers, he dwells on the subtle undertones of the movie; something that Omkara has plenty of:

The real transformation is on the inside, in the way Shakespeare's Venice becomes our Hindi heartland. It's in the way the elegant ladies become earthy laundiyas who cheerfully declare that the key to a man's heart isn't his stomach but a part more southwards. It's in the lived-in feel of the film, where a character we've been introduced to is hanging out clothes to dry, when two houses behind hers, there's an unidentified mother combing her daughter's hair. It's in the way their talk is embroidered with our traditions.

On the flip side, while we are on the topic of writing reviews, Aditya Sinha at Hindustan Times [eeeee-paper link!] gives us an excellent account of how not to write reviews. Neha and Dhoomketu have already skewered him so I'll not bother.

Back to Omkara, Vishal Bharadwaj has definitely come into his own and proved that his previous venture, Maqbool wasn't a fluke. The subtlety and lack of typical kitsch Bollywood melodrama makes Omkara an enjoyable and refined movie-watching experience. While remaining true to the bard's tale, Bharadwaj manages to infuse the spirit of the Hindi heartland in his characters.

Saif sparkles as the evil Langda Tyagi and shows signs of developing into a versatile actor. He definitely makes a better anti-hero than a certain hamming actor. Regardless of the movie's protagonists, Langda is the star. Vivek..err...Viveik Oberoi may have been miscast as Kesu [in comparison to Shakespeare's Cassio] , but he is kept in check. Ajay Devgan has tough shoes to fill in to play Othello's character, but his angst-ridden demeanor is a perfect fit. The ladies do a fabulous job too; Bipasha is undoubtedly smoldering and probably remains one of the few voluptous actresses in a sea of anorexic characters. A avowed Kareena-hater, I actually appreciated her work [last time that happened was in Chameli] and Konkana continues to impress.

It would have been a perfect movie-going experience if it wasn't for that omnipresent tantrum-throwing kid in desi theaters. If that doesn't make you not have kids, nothing else will.