Vishal Bharadwaj: Sinister Magnetism

Kareena Kapoor wants to work in all his movies. Ajay Devgan and Saif Ali Khan are totally floored by his 'different' approach to Cinema. And the biggest of producers (Including UTV and Shekhar Kapoor) want him to direct movies for them. It is merely incidental that he happens to be a terrific music composer. Vishal Bharadwaj is a man of many moods. He is simple, always smiling, has a karmic bond with good-ole-bard-of-yore William Shakespeare and likes to entertain in a mischievously sinister manner. The whole country is eagerly looking forward to his next film, a take on Othello, called 'Omkaara'.

Bharadwaj says that when he told Naseeruddin Shah about his plans of adapting 'Othello' then the master of disguises Shah replied that 'Othello' is the weakest of plays written by King Shakespeare. But after reading the Indianised version of Shakespearean tragedy set in the sweat-n-grime of underworld in the heartland of India i.e. Uttar Pradesh, Naseer was totally bowled over. He even agreed to do a small but pivotal role for which he shaved off his hair. Ajay Devgan is playing a jealous lover with a criminal background while Saif's slimy-n-slithering 'Langda' is surely going to change his chocolate image of good-boy-from-Australia. Bharadwaj is very confident of Vivek Oberoi as well, who according to him, has given a brilliant performance in a few scenes. Obviously, Kareena as the object-of-contention has added the right doses of lust-n-vulnerability.

The music of the film (Composed by Vishal himself) is already creating a furore for its pungent rusticity. The flavor of the tunes is beaded with the smell-of-the-soil and it may emerge as the dark horse amongst the chart busters this year. According to Vishal, his adaptation is based on the underworld of UP, something which is very different from the organized crime network in Mumbai. Since he hails from the Cow Belt, he has seen it all from very close quarters and that has helped him in sketching his characters better. So, after the spellbinding magnetism of 'Maqbool' ladies and gentleman gear yourself for the varied hues-n-shades of one-n-only….'Omkaara'.