If we recall Hansal Mehta’s first feature film with Rajkummar Rao which was a biopic based on Shahid Azmi, an activist, and lawyer. This film titled ‘Shahid’ also had a special appearance of a character Omar Sheikh in a scene where would-be lawyer Shahid is serving in Delhi’s Tihar Jail and where he meets a man who later introduces himself as Omar Sheikh, and tries to recruit Azmi to the jihadi cause.
And in the 2018 film Omerta which was also released on Zee5 a few days back, director Hansal Mehta recreated the same scene. The same man who played Azmi eight years ago, in Omerta he plays the exact opposite human being i.e Omar. It’s really a great piece of cinema where the same actor transforms into a hunter in Omerta.
Rao’s performance is gritty and quite horrifying too. The film covers the incidents in Omar’s life beginning with 1994 and how his cruel missions take him against humanity. Mehta details the setting of the story in different aspects considering a terrorist organization carefully, and there are some sequences that create tension, but not much involvement at a psychological level.
Rao’s portrayal is deeply intense, even when he’s trying to ingratiate himself, he comes on a little too strong. The film is really engaging with strong performances and great writing. The camera work creates tension within the viewers and makes it a thrilling watch. A film you should definitely watch for the powerful performance of Rao.
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