Othello is set for a Bollywood makeover in which William Shakespeare’s jealous lover is the leader of a gang of outlaws in modern-day India’s political badlands.


Bollywood’s version of the play, slated for release tomorrow, is the story of a gifted chieftain, Omkara, whose jealousy and blind obsession for his lover tears his secure world apart.


Set amidst violent political conflict in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Omkara is director Vishal Bharadwaj’s second tryst with Shakespearean drama after the critically-acclaimed Maqbool, loosely based on Macbeth.


“The appeal of Shakespeare’s stories is that they are humane and timeless which is why they can be set in any social milieu and be relevant to any character,” said Bharadwaj.


Omkara, played by Bollywood star Ajay Devgan, heads a group of outlaws that includes his two close cohorts. When Omkara chooses one of the two as his chief lieutenant, the pride of the other, played by romantic hero Saif Ali Khan, is hurt.


Raging with envy, he hatches a plot to implicate Omkara’s beautiful fiance in an illicit affair with the chief lieutenant.


“In the backdrop, the character (Omkara) is very aggressive and that is what we are trying to portray,” Devgan said.


Khan dumps his lover boy image to play the manipulative Iago. Desdemona’s character is played by Bollywood beauty Kareena Kapoor, better known for her sexy but shallow characters.





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