Omkara

Cast: Ajay Devgan, Saif, Viveik Oberoi, Konkana Sen, Kareena Kapoor, Naseerudin Shah, Bipasha
Action: Good amount of action and tends to be violent at times
Music: No jing bang dance numbers but very good background score complementing the plot
Comedy: Good humor and excellent delivery of sarcastic dialogues
Tragedy: People who have read Othello would know better. Let me put it this way, it is not exactly a happy ending.

Vishal Bharadwaj’s adaptation of Othello with a very powerful cast and strong script despite indianizing the plot is a must watch. The movie is set in Uttar Pradesh with elements of the rifle raj, student politics and caste based politics mixed very well to throw up a good engrossing but predictable storyline. The story is about the henchman of a strong politician and other powerful members of his gang involved in a struggle for power. The story is based on the age old concept of a disgruntled member of a gang spewing venom and bringing about a rift in the gang. The pawn used in this battle for power is Dolly (Kareena) who is Omkara’s (Ajay Devgan) fiancé.
Vishal Bharadwaj has got a lot of things right but most commendable would be the cast. Saif Ali Khans portrayal of Langda Tyagi is outstanding and his performance is certainly one that will be talked about a lot. Konkana Sen’s performance also deserves a lot of credit. Her portrayal of a bubbly housewife with a mature head is very good.
The essence of the movie and its plot lie more in the dialogues and the dialogue delivery as well. Every character in the movie is powerful not just because of a strong portrayal by the actor but mainly because of the dialogues. The music and rural U.P setting add to the charm. Naseeruddin Shah plays the strong politician and does not disappoint the viewers with his performance.
The movie is a must watch for Saif Ali Khan fans. Ajay Devgan takes a back set to the more critical and better enacted role of Langda Tyagi. Viviek Oberoi is just lucky that he figures in the movie. He has nothing much to do in the film except for driving around in an Enfield Bullet flashing a smile and looking macho.
The surprise package of movie for me was Kareena Kapoor. Kareena's performance in the movie is really good; for once Kareena actually has the look of a good actress and is great with the portrayal of emotions.

The movie has a rather generous dose of abusive language which have passed the censor board's scissors but that’s what makes the movie much more realistic and effective.