INDIA: Bollywood's adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello set to release by July end

Shakespeare's genius continues to inspire modern day story-tellers, like the Indian director Vishal Bharadwaj, whose 'Omkara', based on Othello, is all set to hit the screens in India at the end of July. A tale of tragic love, 'Omkara' is an Indian adaptation of the 17th century classic Othello and stars big names of the Bollywood like Naseeruddin Shah, Ajay Devgan and Kareena Kapoor among others. National Award winner Ajay Devgan plays the lead role of Omkara, a short-tempered lover, whose jealousy destroys his happiness and love. Though Devgan plays the role of a chief of outlaws 'Omkara' is not an action movie but rather dwells on the complexity of human relationships. "In the backdrop, the character (Omkara) is very aggressive and that is what we are trying to portray. It does not mean that there are too many fighting scenes in the movie but that in a way, we have tried to show his inner conflicts and aggression," said Devgan, at a Mumbai studio. The choreography for the movie has been done in such a way that it aids the character delineation, mainly that of Omkara. One moment, he is a lover embracing his beloved, the other he is a warrior who is too naive to understand the nuances of love and relationships. "We are showing him (as) the conqueror, we are showing him (as) the tormented lover, we are showing him in the various phases and moods, that is what we are showing," said Astha Debo, the choreographer of 'Omkara'. This is the second time Director Vishal Bharadwaj is adapting a Shakespearian play. His earlier film 'Maqbool' made in 2003 was an adaptation of Macbeth. 'Omkara' will try it's luck at the box office when it is released on the 28th of July in India. ENDS.

ITN Source | July 20, 2006

Tags:. .released. .mean. .scenes. .july. .classic