"Omar in #Omerta is certainly one of the most challenging characters I have ever played on screen. It drained me completely emotionally and physically. I could never have imagined that playing this part would mentally take me to such dark places. It's a journey of one of the most deadly terrorists of our times and Hansal sir pushed me out of my boundaries to explore," said Rajkummar, about the film that saw him essay Omar Saeed Sheikh, British terrorist of Pakistani descent.
ASHOK’s FIVE brings you a masterclass in character acting by #RajkummarRao; the 2017 #Omerta movie directed by #HansalMehta now available on #Zee5. This is a biography of the terrorist and while the film does not go deeper into explaining why and how a young man studying at the London School of Economics gets radicalised; it does provide you a ringside view of how the man gets possessed by a singular idea and pursues it with single minded focus.
1. #RajkummarRao is easily one of the best talents in the industry today. Here, he lives the character to the hilt, with the clipped, stiff-upper lip British accent and an amazing ability to switch from a suave and polished, charming young man to a menacing terrorist. The kidnapping scenes where he befriends the western tourists with consummate ease are brilliant. And then there is the scene in jail where he reprimands a fellow prisoner for not maintaining the roza.
2. The relationship with his father (played by theatre heavyweight #KevalArora could have been detailed out far more but is interesting nonetheless. At his marriage, Omar is more concerned about the dignitaries who have graced the occasion. For him that is a sign of achievement. His father cautions him and asks him to be careful. Are they bothered about Omar himself or the work he is doing for them?
3. Omar is deeply impacted by the wrongs done to his brethren in Bosnia, Palestine and Kashmir. He wants to avenge them. However, the film stops short at such points and provides only a commentary of what happens. You do not get an understanding of what makes Omar so committed to the cause. At a 96-minute run-time, the film is done in a docu-drama style. I think the good thing though, is that it is a realistic portrayal of the man, remains judicious and is replete with slice-of-life events that make for a fascinating story.
4. The cast includes #RajeshTailang, #RupinderNagra and #KevalArora. I think this is the fourth or fifth partnership between #HansalMehta and #RajkummarRao and the camaraderie is evident.
5. Many of us would be familiar with the sequence of events that led to the kidnappings in west Delhi in 1994, followed by the detention of Omar Saeed in Tihar Jail, and then the infamous hijacking of IC 814. Among the extremists who were freed at that time in exchange of the passengers was Omar. The fleeting television images of Vajpayee and Jaswant Singh are haunting! The film concludes with the killing of American journo Daniel Pearl; Omar Saeed had a hand here as well. That scene is perhaps the most gruesome and fascinating one; the goriness is conveyed not by blood and wounds but by the squeaking sounds of the knife as it cuts through the neck. The look on Omar’s face is the piece d résistance of the scene, almost apologetic, a little weary and very triumphant!
I think it makes for a very bold effort to take up the biography of a radical militant and play the part. The film is an excellent insight into the mind of the terrorist and how consumed they tend to be with the belief that they are indoctrinated into. Watch #Omerta for a million dollar performance from #RajkummarRao !
