Omkara (Hindi: ओमकारा, Urdu: امکارا) is a 2006 Hindi film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello directed by Vishal Bharadwaj. It starred Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor in lead roles, supported by Vivek Oberoi, Naseeruddin Shah and Konkona Sen Sharma with a ‘’special appearance’’ from Bipasha Basu. The director Vishal Bharadwaj himself composed the entire music for the film, including the background score, with song lyrics by Gulzar.
The film was showcased in the 2006 Cannes Film Festival along with a book on the making of Omkara. It was also selected to be screened at the Cairo International Film Festival & Pakistan's prestigious Kara Film Festival.
It became part of a series of film interpretations of popular literary works by Bharadwaj, made after Maqbool based on Macbeth and Chatri Chor based on Ruskin Bond's The Blue Umbrella, though it should be noted that Omkara was released before Chatri Chor.
Advocate Raghunath Mishra has arranged the marriage of his daughter, Dolly, with Rajan, knowing fully well that Dolly loves Omkara Shukla. Before the marriage could take place, the groom's party is attacked, they flee, and Dolly is reportedly abducted. Raghunath is able to trace Dolly to Omkara, a criminal and hit-man, a verbal confrontation ensues until Politician Bhaisaab telephonically intervenes, and a crestfallen Raghunath faces the reality that Dolly was not abducted but is here with Omkara by her own free will. He warns Omkara, and departs. Shortly thereafter, Bhaisaab is shot at and wounded, announces that Omkara should stand in the next election, and as a result, Omkara appoints one of his lieutenants', Keshav Upadhyay in his place as the 'Bahubali". Omkara realizes that he may have blundered in having Keshav succeed him, as Keshav is unable to control his temper when under the influence of alcohol, which puts him in the bad books of Omkara. Then Omkara suspects that Keshav is having an affair with Dolly, as both had been fellow-collegians. With Omkara's marriage with Dolly getting close, he asks his other lieutenant, Ishwar Tyagi, to obtain proof of Keshav's affair with Dolly or face the consequences, as Omkara remembers Raghunath's warning that when a daughter is not true to her father, she will never be true to anyone. Watch what happens when Ishwar produces proof shortly after the marriage, and the impact this has on Dolly, Omkara, Keshav, Ishwar, and Ishwar's wife, Indu. Written by rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)
