When Vishal Bhardwaj's Omkara premiered in 2006, one character that distinguished itself and astonished the audience was Saif Ali Khan's Langda Tyagi. The actor's accent, appearance, and acting left viewers and reviewers amazed. However, you might be surprised to learn that Saif wasn’t the initial choice for this part. Indeed, Aamir Khan was eager to sink his teeth into the script inspired by Shakespeare's Othello.

Aamir was willing to portray the main antagonist.

In a discussion with Friday Talkies, the film's writer Robin Bhatt revealed, "Aamir was ready to take on the villain's role. Saif Ali Khan was the second option. However, at a certain point, we concluded that Aamir was not the appropriate choice for the film. "

The screenwriter noted that the producers chose Saif, but they still had reservations since they believed the Kal Ho Naa Ho actor might struggle with the local dialect of western UP.

Nevertheless, Robin was impressed with Saif's determination. "He took lessons from an actor who was with him around the clock. He trimmed his long hair and developed the entire look, which attracted everyone's focus," Robin stated. He also pointed out that actor Deepak Dobriyal, who portrayed Rajan Tiwari, Saif's sidekick, was his main coach on the set. Saif would spend countless hours with Deepak to nail the accent and performance.

About Omkara

Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, Omkara features Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vivek Oberoi, Naseeruddin Shah, and Bipasha Basu in prominent roles. It is the second in Vishal's trilogy of Shakespeare adaptations, which also contains Maqbool (2004) and Haider (2014). Omkara was well-received by critics and secured three awards at the 54th National Film Awards: Best Supporting Actress for Konkana Sen Sharma, Best Audiography, and Special Jury Award.

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