Ambimama - India

Othello is a story of treachery and deceit and is one of the Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies

The Hindi film OMKARA has taken its plot from William Shakespeare’s great tragedy Othello. But Othello is more classic, powerful and thousand of stories and films can be made from it. Already in 1997 ‘Kaliyattam’ in Malayalam is based on Othello.

Omkara (Ajay Devgan) is a combination of greatness and weakness. A principled man of action, he doesn’t see life in midtones. He sees life either as good or evil. Therein lies Omi’s tragic flaw
Kareena Kapoor in her interview to Indian Express today 29th July, Saturday says “Desdemona is Shakespeare’s best written female character and the adopted version Dolly Mishra is as scintillating” What a total ignorance of Kareena on Shakespeare and his other more powerful female characters like Lady Macbeth (Vanity Thy name is Woman) or Cordelia in King Lear or Cleopatra.
But I would sure like to see OMKARA for the Hindi Othello – Ajay Devgan,
Iago (Saif Ali) who poisons Othello’s (Ajay Devgan) mind about her relationship with Cassio (Vivek Oberoi). All of them have done excellently.

And there is Jism Bipasha, sure taken for pleasing the audience with her Jism.

And what coverage by NDTV or HEADLINES TODAY (I do not remember) for this movie review!!

For the title of the film and audience poll was conducted to choose from Omkara, Issak or O Saathi Re.

Omkara characters share the same alphabet or sound in their first name as in the original Othello..

Saif Ali Khan shaved his head for the character of Langda Tyagi.

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In the original play Othello, he prepares to murder Desdemona his wife thinking she is not true to her, assuring himself that he is doing the right thing: The play of Shakespeare has one soliloquy, which makes us wonder at the greatness of Bard of Avon.

It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul,
Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars:
It is the cause, yet I’ll not shed her blood,
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,
And smooth, as monumental alabaster;
Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men.
Put out the light, and then put out the light:
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,
I can again thy former light restore,
Should I repent me; but once put out thine,
Thou cunning pattern of excelling nature,
I know not where is that Promethean heat
That can thy light relume: when I have pluck’d the rose,
I cannot give it vital growth again,
It must needs wither; I’ll smell it on the tree, (kisses her)
A balmy breath, that doth almost persuade
Justice herself to break her sword: once more:
Be thus, when thou art dead, and I will kill thee,
And love thee after: once more, and this the last,
So sweet was ne’er so fatal: I must weep,
But they are cruel tears; this sorrow’s heavenly,
It strikes when it does love… (Act V.ii)

‘Othello’ is a the problem of “falling out of love”
Though Othello is a tragedy, there are other great ones by Shake spear like Hamlet and King Lear. I wish some Hindi producer (Bollywood runs out of ideas always). His tragedies are mainly Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Timon of Athens and Titus Andronicus.
Sorry, I must rush to the theatre to see OMKARA now!!