Omerta Movie Review: Rajkummar Rao's Chilling Performance Makes This Hansal Mehta Film, Streaming on Zee5, a Disturbing Watch

Omerta Movie Review: In 2018, we had seen a powerful villain called Thanos who obliterated half the living beings in the universe with the snap of his fingers in Avengers Infinity War. This week, we get up and close with another villain, Omar Saeed Sheikh in Omerta. The only difference is, while Sheikh hasn't snapped his fingers with universe-affecting consequences, he is far scarier. After all, this is a real man linked to some of the most terrifying terrorist plots of the modern era. Hansal Mehta's Omerta Starring Rajkummar Rao Finally Finds a Streaming Partner, Will Be Available to Watch on Zee5.

Omerta is directed by Hansal Mehta, while Rajkummar Rao plays the main lead. Can Omerta be as good as their previous three collaborations, Shahid, CityLights and Aligarh? To some extent, yes.While the movie came out in 2018 for a limited theatrical release, it has now found a new home on Zee5.

We begin our journey with UK-born Omar in 1994 when he successfully plans and executes the kidnapping of four foreign nationals, only to get busted by the Delhi police. He is suspected of being an ISI agent and gets sent to Tihar. We are given glimpses of how Bosnian attacks in 1992 drove Sheikh to jihad, his training with ISI militants, and later his ascension to being a terrorist mastermind involved in 9/11 WTC attacks, 2008 Mumbai attack and the kidnapping and murder of American journalist, Daniel Pearl.

Watch The Trailer of Omerta:

Considering that the movie is about one of the most dreaded terrorists in the world, Omerta possesses a grim tone throughout. It is not an easy watch, as there are a quite a few scenes that are very disturbing. But the one-note tone, along with the languid pace of the movie, gives Omerta a very docu feeling, not helped by the fact that Mehta also uses real-life footage copiously in the narrative. For Rajkummar Rao, Omar in Hansal Mehta’s Omerta Is the Most Challenging Role in His Career So Far.

In what could be his most ambitious movie ever, Mehta manages to present the chilling facade of Sheikh adeptly. However, despite the camera being trained on Rao nearly throughout the film, his character feels under-explored at times. His transition from a misguided, pained youth to an ISI agent to a terrorist mastermind feels rushed. Save for a couple of scenes with his father; there is very less exploration of the man behind the hatred, something Shahid did so well with its protagonist. Also, the back-and-forth handling of Omar's jail time and his training days was confusing and could have been avoided.

Omerta gives more focus to three chapters in Omar's life - his inclusion in the militant camp, the 1994 kidnapping of the foreign nationals and the murder of Daniel Pearl. You will be disappointed if you expect to know more about his involvement in the WTC attacks or the 2008 Mumbai attacks. These incidents are done away with a couple of scenes or footage. The training scenes could have been truncated. Also, the liberal usage of English throughout the movie will alienate the domestic audiences. The abrupt ending is a head-cracker.

That said, there are some masterful sequences in Omerta. The whole kidnapping scene of the foreign nationals is well-executed and manages to introduce us to the menacing and yet cunning side of Sheikh, who is a pro at chess. The movie doesn't shy away from calling out Pakistan in lending its support to these dangerous men. There is a scene where Sheikh is having tea and reading newspaper at his house, while the news is linking him to a terrorist attack. We can see official guards posted outside his home to protect him, which says a lot about the power Omar held in Pakistan. The entire subplot of Daniel Pearl is intriguing and deftly handled. His execution is very bone-chilling, with Mehta relying on some terrific sound-editing and Rao's expressions.

That brings us to Omerta's biggest positive, Rajkummar Rao. A dodgy British accent aside, Rao manages to convey a commanding presence in every scene he is, which is nearly 98% of the movie. We have seen him in negative roles before, but this enigmatic evil portrayal is something unseen from the vast array of this wonderful actor. While the rest of the actors get little scope, Timothy Ryan Hickernell as slain journalist Pearl is very good.

Yay!

- Rajkummar Rao

- Some well-directed sequences

- The Daniel Pearl subplot

- The background score.

Nay!

- The docu-feel

- Languid pace and confusing editing

- Not enough exploration of Sheikh's personal side.

Final Thoughts

If you are watching Omerta purely for Rajkummar Rao's performance, there is little for you to be disappointed, as he excels in being a vision of evil. Omerta also needs to be appreciated in bringing forth the story of the most dangerous men of our times, without glorifying him. But if you expect Omerta to be as nuanced and layered as Shahid, you may leave away disappointed.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 02, 2018 11:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).