How ‘Omkara’ Fixed Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’
Vishal Bhardwaj’s 2006 adaptation reveals what the bard’s weakest play was missing.
Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj began adapting William Shakespeare’s plays to Hindi cinema for one reason: he couldn’t find inspired storytelling. “A good story works even if badly shot. It is very difficult to find good stories,” he said in 2007. His solution? “I’ll make a trilogy of Shakespeare films.” He fulfilled his promise with Maqbool (2003), Omkara (2006), and Haider (2014).
But perhaps because Maqbool and Haider tell you that they are political projects from the start — about kings and kingdoms, namely Macbeth and Hamlet — there’s something distinct about Omkara (2006), based on Othello. In this story, the central problem isn’t really political. No, it’s far closer to home: it’s about what we choose to see in people, and whom we choose to believe. And because of this, on its 20th anniversary, there’s no better time to revisit one of the most stacked ensembles Hindi cinema has ever assembled. While many believe Othello is Shakespeare’s weakest play, Bhardwaj’s adaptation transforms it into a masterpiece.