Omkara (Single Disc) UK Release [DVD]

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.

Simply one of the best film versions of 'Othello,' either with or without the words of the original play. Visually sumptuous and cinematically accomplished, with fine performances and an extraordinary final shot - that is a worthy end to a long but gripping film. You may know the play or the other film adaptations, and will of course know how it ends - but not how we get there and what form the final image takes. And along the way the intelligence and imagination with which scenes and situations form the play have been made the film-maker's own is always impressive. If these actors were playing the roles as Shakespeare wrote them they would be as compelling as any rivals. But that's simply a thought by the way. A must-see!

I would really appreciate if Eros (or whoever does it) stop substituting for Shemaroo, the company that actually makes the DVD. This is my second one with which I am sooo angry! Big title SHEMAROO in the corner of the picture for the whole movie! The movie per se deserves 5 full stars, it's great adaptation of Othello moved to today's India (for me much better then that Gibson's thing) with great performances (especially Saif Ali Khan's "Jago" is worth mentioning), camera and directing, but the whole experience is really spoiled by not that much clear picture and this company add in the corner.

I watched this for a film studies module at university and wasn't overly fussed at the sound of it. Shakespeare and Bollywood combined? How would that work? Surprisingly, I found I really enjoyed this Indian take on Shakespeare. It definitely tells the story of Othello; instead of Omi (Othello) being a black man in a white man's world (as Othello is in Shakespeare's play), he is a man of a lower caste in the Indian caste system. Thus, whilst it does incorporate themes of race (and class), I found it a brilliant adaption of Othello for its focus on other themes such as how incredibly violent the play is ,especially against the female characters. Something which may put people off is that it is not in English so you must watch with subtitles but I think if you can get past that you will really enjoy it!

An inspired rendition of Othello. Some of the songs (Bianca's) are a bit superfluous. I just forwarded them. Otherwise brilliant acting and directing. Captured the spirit of Shakespear's Othello perfectly. I studied a lot of Shakespear and Othello is one of my firm favourites. I've watched so many versions of Othello and this is easily the best. I did like O, the one with Josh Hartnett.

Excellently acted and written. The way it has been adapted truly allows you to see how easy it is to sow the seeds of suspicion and makes the eventual tragedy all the more poignant. Reread Othello and it is a faithful adaptation that holds true to the original story. Watch and enjoy.

This is a very well directed and acted film. The one drawback would seem to be that they did not budget for adequate sub-titles. As a non-Indian language speaker this made following the film annoying and frustrating. Obviously I know the plot of Othello so it was possible to follow the story line but virtually impossible to understand the nuance of the dialogue.

A brilliant adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Othello', I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested.

Vishal Bharadwaj is a great storyteller and an amazing Music Director as well. This is one of my Favorite movies of all time and I listen to the Soundtrack almost daily. The Othello story is one of Shakespeare's greatest and Bharadwaj does an amazing job translating it into modern, provincial India. The acting is all stellar, with Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, and Kareena Kappor being standouts. As others have said this is much more than a Shakespeare retelling, and much more than a gangster movie, and yet it is also great on those levels as well.

In der vorliegenden Verfilmung,frei nach Shakespeares "Othello", wird die Geschichte eines Gangsters (Omkara) erzählt. Er kämpft um seine Geliebte Dolly (aka Desdemona); diese gibt alles auf,um Omkaras Braut zu werden. Doch mit der Zeit kommen dem Räuber Zweifel an Dollys Treue, und das Unheil nimmt seinen Lauf... Dieser Film ist gewiss kein kitschiges Bollywoodmovie. Es werden viele Themen tangiert: Nepotismus,Korruption,Neid und Liebe. Die Darsteller agieren brillant,die Dialoge sind ausgefeilt. Volle Punktzahl.

A must have movie for Devgn fans, fans of Vishal Bharatwaj and any film buff and of course the followers of Shakespeare. The adaption of Othello by Vishalji is perfectly Indianised yet the essence of Shakespeare's Othello is intact. Wanted to lay hands on this long time back as I am a huge fan of both Devgn and Vishal Bharatwaj but after Haider couldn't resist the temptation the have Vishalji's Omkara. Now need to lay hands on Maqbool, Haider, Makdi and other. Thanks Vishalji for such spectacular Movies. Waiting for your next

Classic

Brilliant take on Othello..Amazing