As Vishal Bhardwaj’s crime drama Omkara completes 20 years, Vivek Oberoi has looked back at his experience of playing Kesu Firangi, a role for which he received several Best Supporting Actor honours.
Recalling his time on the sets, Vivek said, “Playing Kesu Firangi was an absolute electric charge to the system. We were shooting in the dusty terrains of Wai, reimagining Shakespeare’s Othello through the gritty lens of western Uttar Pradesh.”
He also shared a memory involving his co-stars Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan. “One of my favourite memories from the Omkara shoot was Saif teaching me how to play the guitar between shots, so that I could teach Kareena on screen. While being nominated for and winning awards for Kesu was deeply gratifying, being part of the sheer intensity created by Vishal bhai remains my highest honour,” he said.
Speaking about his experience of working with Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan, Vivek described it as a “cinematic brotherhood.”
He said, “Ajay bhai doesn’t need a hundred words to establish dominance. Standing opposite him as Kesu and looking into the eyes of Omi Shukla, you could feel the brotherhood, the reverence and the heartbreaking undercurrent of suspicion. He is a rock on set, calm, composed and effortlessly legendary.”
Vivek also spoke about Saif’s portrayal of Langda Tyagi. “Saif, on the other hand, was an absolute revelation. Off-camera, he is refined, witty and deeply intellectual, but the moment the camera rolled, he transformed into a ruthless, limping force of nature,” he said.
Reflecting on their on-screen equation, Vivek added, “The dynamic between Kesu and Langda was a game of trust versus deception. Bouncing off Saif’s fiery performance pushed me to bring my absolute best to every single take.”
Released in 2006, Omkara was Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Othello, featuring an ensemble cast including Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Vivek Oberoi.
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