Chhaayaageet #144 - “There are so many men, and they all look so scary and dirty.”
The filmmaker is surprised how quickly things are falling in place. He has a loose outline of a script in mind, based on a play. He takes it to an actor who he has identified to play the lead role. The actor likes the story and agrees to do the film. Moreover, the actor even suggests that his business manager would become the producer. The actor doesn’t have too many dates to spare on his busy calendar. So the entire script must be ready within a month.
The filmmaker locks himself and a couple of his scriptwriters in a hotel room. Lo and behold, the entire script is ready within seventeen days. They cannot believe the speed with which it has come together. The lead actor’s manager, now the producer of the film, has waved his magic wand and assembled a multi-star cast in no time. And now shooting needs to commence in just a few weeks.
Everything is happening on its own, as if pre-destined. Big stars, tight schedules, lots to do. The filmmaker is a one-man army. He has written the script and screenplay, he is going to direct the film. Let’s not stop there. He is also going to compose the music of the film.
But for now, there is no time to wear the music composer’s hat. In just a few days he is going to leave Bombay to visit different parts of the country to scout locations where the sets will be erected. Music is not high on the list right now. But perhaps, he might steal any time on this trip to think of tunes while he is in cars and at noisy airports. And there is no time to have music sittings with the poet lyricist.
Traveling on dusty roads, looking out the window of the car or the airplane, the filmmaker thinks of tunes as he surveys landscapes. He records on his phone any and every tune that comes to his mind. Then he sings them on the phone to the lyricist who is back in Bombay, explaining the context and the situation of each song.
The lyricist is a veteran poet. He wants to ensure the language of the lyrics is consistent with the dialect of Hindi spoken by the characters in the film. This dialect has never been used in Hindi cinema. So to give the songs an air of authenticity, they need to blend with the dialogues.
In the midst of the filmmaker’s travel, the lyricist and the filmmaker talk daily. The filmmaker scribbles down lyrics on any piece of paper he can find, even the back of a boarding pass.
On one such travel stop, they talk about a specific song situation. ”I have not asked anything of you, but this time I want a good song, and a hit song”, he requests the lyricist.
It is a special moment in the film. A lot is happening with the characters. The situation is emotionally charged. If done right, this song has a chance to become extremely popular, with the classes and the masses. The female character on which the song is to be filmed is sensuous and beautiful. One might think of it as an item number but it is not quite that. She is not some guest actress just making a presence in the song. She has a proper character to play in the film, that of a village singer, dancer and entertainer. A woman with a tough exterior, for she has to earn a living singing in front of rowdy villagers who might have had a little too much to drink. The song also needs to reflect the conflicting feelings of the other central characters and move the plot forward.
”I want a song that will surpass Paan khaye saiyan hamar and Jhumka gira re”, the filmmaker suggests to the lyricist.
The lyricist and filmmaker have almost a father and son relationship. They work very well together. In only a few minutes, the lyricist provides the opening lines for the song. They don’t really fall in with the tune. The lyricist explains that these lines will set up the beat and the rhythm for the mukhda of the song. Normally it is the music that sets the beat. But, instead, these opening lines will do the job of the music.
Instantly, the filmmaker knows they have a hit song on their hands. The song is recorded, and now it is time for the shoot.
It is a cold evening in the middle of winter in Uttar Pradesh. They plan to shoot the song through the night. The choreographer is working with the two male actors who are part of the song. The steps are reflective of how people in the region dance. But these two male actors have too much of Western motions in them. The choreographer teaches them how to shake their shoulders and dance a bit raw.
The actress who is the central dancer in the song is ready to perform. She comes out of her trailer to the set. One look at all the people assembled around her, and panic sets in. The song is being played on the speakers, and everybody is moving to the beat and dancing a little rowdily in character. So many men and she is the only female performer, she thinks to herself. She develops cold feet and rushes back inside her trailer. The filmmaker and the male actors are perplexed. They go inside to speak with her.
”I am scared”, she tells them. “There are so many men, and they all look so scary and dirty, with their scraggly beards”, she explains her plight.
There are rumors that the underworld mafia of Uttar Pradesh might kidnap the actors and actresses. Perhaps that's been playing on her mind. What if the unit is infiltrated by the underworld? The filmmaker assures her that there is police protection for the unit, and an assurance extended by the Commissioner of Police that nothing of the sort will happen.
The actress, who is supposed to play this aggressive dancer in the film, is completely out of character on the set.
”Don’t worry”, the male actors try to pacify her. “They are all actors, and they are looking dirty and scraggly because they are just dressed for the shot.”
The actress is still a bit shaken. One of the actors comes up with an idea. Why don’t they just play the song, and one by one, the male actors and some of the extra dancers will just dance to it. Let’s not roll the camera just yet. Let’s just get everyone to loosen up.
This seems to do the trick. The male actors dance their steps to the song, injecting some funny and light hearted moments into the proceedings. This puts the actress at ease.
As the evening turns into the night, the mercury drops. It’s freezing cold in the middle of the night, the unit is tired, but despite that, the song just makes everyone dance their hearts out.
Vishal Bhardwaj co-wrote the script and screenplay, and directed Omkara (2006), adapted from William Shakespeare’s Othello. This was the second film in the Shakespeare adaptations trilogy that Bhardwaj made, with the first being Maqbool (Macbeth), and the last being Haider (Hamlet). Bhardwaj is highly applauded for his adaptations and staying close to the original works of Shakespeare.
Bhardwaj also composed all the songs of the film, and also the entire background score. Lyrics were penned by Gulzar. The song Beedi jalai le became extremely popular, in the disco clubs, as well as in the rural regions. This song also became the first Hindi song to get considerable air time on the pop radio stations in Brazil.
Bipasha Basu, Vivek Oberoi, Saif Ali Khan and Deepak Dobriyal bring their high energy to this number. It is creditable, especially of Bipasha Basu, considering the panic and cold feet she experienced to begin the shoot with. The playback for the song is provided by Sunidhi Chauhan, Sukhwinder Singh, Nachiketa Chakraborty, Clinton Cerejo and Vishal Dadlani. The song is choreographed by Ganesh Acharya.
The film was met with critical acclaim but it was not a commercial success due to its dark theme and foul language. The ensemble cast featured Ajay Devgn (Othello), Kareena Kapoor (Desdemona), Saif Ali Khan (Iago), Konkona Sen Sharma (Emilia), Vivek Oberoi (Cassio), Bipasha Basu (Bianca) and Naseeruddin Shah (the Duke of Venice). Devgn’s business manager, Kumar Mangat Pathak, produced the film.
Omkara had 17 nominations at the Filmfare Awards and won 9 of them - Best Supporting Actress for Konkona Sen Sharma, Best Villain for Saif Ali Khan for his portrayal of Langda Tyagi, Best Playback Singer - Female for Sunidhi Chauhan for Beedi jalai le, Best Actress for Kareena Kapoor, Best Choreography for Ganesh Acharya, Best Production Design for Samir Chanda, Best Sound Design for Shajith Koyeri/Subhash Sahu/KJ Singh, Best Costume Design for Dolly Ahluwalia and Special Performance Award for Deepak Dobriyal.
With this film, Saif Ali Khan proved his mettle as an actor, shedding his urban sophisticated lover boy romantic hero image. The role of Langda Tyagi was first offered to Aamir Khan as he was highly interested in it. In fact it was Aamir Khan who pushed Bhardwaj to make Omkara. However Aamir and Bhardwaj had different interpretations and Bhardwaj felt that Aamir would likely interfere with lot of suggestions and he would not get to make the film the way he would want to. Saif Ali Khan’s portrayal of Langda Tyagi won him high acclaim and applause.
Bhardwaj wrote the script in Khariboli, a dialect of Hindi, spoken in rural Uttar Pradesh. He was hesitant to share the script with Gulzar because of the number of swear words. When Gulzar read the script, he complimented Bhardwaj by saying , “Ab mujhe meri kalam tod deni chahiye.” (Now, I should break my pen).
Music: Vishal Bhardwaj
Lyrics: Gulzar
*ing: Bipasha Basu, Vivek Oberoi, Saif Ali Khan, Deepak Dobriyal
Singers: Sunidhi Chauhan, Sukhwinder Singh, Nachiketa Chakraborty, Clinton Cerejo, Vishal Dadlani
Choreography: Ganesh Acharya
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Film: Omkara (2006)