Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84526 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-04-17
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Import, NTSC
• Original language: Hindi
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 5.50" h x .50" w x 7.50" l, .19 pounds
• Running time: 140 minutes

Customer Reviews

This version of Othello will blow you away
This was our favorite Hindi film of 2006 and in fact one of our favorite films ever. Omkara is a compelling adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello, with standout acting by all involved. The film is set in rural Uttar Pradesh, almost a modern "wild west" with its depiction of a hardscrabble life ruled by lawlessness and political corruption. Omkara is gripping from beginning to end as you watch Omkara's suspicion grow, fed by Langda's need for revenge. Ajay Devgan is at his smoldering best as Omkara/Othello and you will hardly recognize Saif Ali Khan in the Langda/Iago role; he excels in this villainous part, the kind of thing he does not usually play. Kudos to Kareena Kapoor as Dolly/Desdemona; she shows here what she's truly capable of-- a lot more than smooching at the camera in a romantic comedy. Bipasha Basu makes the most of her limited role in the two item numbers, both fantastic. A fairly violent flick, don't expect your stereotypical Hindi song & dance. Cinematography is magnificent. Superb music by the film's director and screenwriter Vishal Bhardwaj, a triple threat. Soundtrack CD highly recommended.Omkara - CD

Much more than a gangster film
Films like Omkara make up for the tons of trash that come out of Bollywood. I can't comment on the adaptation of Othello - people I trust tell me that it is brilliant. I know the director did a magnificent job with Macbeth in the movie Maqbool, though. The performances are perfect - specially the brooding Omi and the scheming Langda. The action sequences in particular are very real and gritty. People talk they way they normally would in that setting - the dialog isn't bowdlerised. It's specially interesting to me that the director squeezed out such brilliant performances and lines from the actors, but when you see their interviews in the special features, some of them come across as the pseuds they are:) Anyway, I highly recommend this one for all audiences over fifteen.

Must See
As was the case with director Vishal Bhardwaj's first Shakespeare adaptation, 'Maqbool' ('Macbeth'), gushing praise of his version of 'Othello' is also unavoidable. He electrifies this classic tale of insidious jealousy, setting it in mob-infested rural India, a place more like the American Wild West than Elizabethan England. The members of the all-star cast give some of the best performances of their careers. Ajay Devgan smolders as Omkara (Othello), a local gang leader who's deeply insecure about his dark skin. Kareena Kapoor plays Dolly (Desdemona), Omkara's fiancé, who's as pure of heart as she is fair of face. Saif Ali Khan is the twisted Langda (Iago), who plants seeds of suspicion about Dolly's fidelity in Omkara's mind. Konkona Sen Sharma portrays Indu (Emilia)--Omkara's sister and Langda's wife--as a smart, sassy feminist in an uber-macho world. The role of Kesu (Cassio) belongs to Vivek Oberoi, who's perfectly cast as the college-educated lover boy caught in Langda's web. Bipasha Basu plays Billo (Bianca), a sexy village entertainer and a worldly woman who nonetheless falls for Kesu's Casanova charm. Shakespeare would have been lucky to have had these performers on his stage. - The Bollywood Ticket: The American guide to Indian movies (Subscribe: The Bollywood Ticket)