Saif Ali Khan Omkar: When William Shakespeare’s famous play was adapted amidst the rugged terrain of Uttar Pradesh and the sound of guns, a character was born who defeated all the villains of Hindi cinema. We are talking about that character from the film ‘Omkara’, whom the world still knows by the name of ‘Langra Tyagi’. Vishal Bhardwaj’s film ‘Omkara’, released in 2006, is considered one of the best films of Indian cinema.
Saif Ali Khan played the character of ‘Langra Tyagi’ in this film based on William Shakespeare’s play ‘Othello’, which changed the direction of his entire career. When Saif, who ruled the hearts of female fans with films like ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ and ‘Hum Tum’, entered the screen as Langra Tyagi, the audience could not even recognize him. Today let us know how hard Saif worked for the unique getup and speech of this iconic villain.
Actually, a very interesting fact related to this film and character is that Vishal Bhardwaj first wanted to cast Aamir Khan for this role. Aamir himself was very keen to do this character, but due to some dates and busy schedule, things could not work out. After that Vishal Bhardwaj saif ali khan Expressed confidence. When Saif was offered this role, many people told him that playing a villain could harm his career, but Saif accepted the challenge.
What was the secret behind making one leg look thin and lifeless?
In the film, one leg of Langra Tyagi does not work, due to which he used to walk with a limp. To make one of his legs appear weaker and thinner than the other on screen, the makers did not resort to any VFX, rather it was the amazing costume designing and hard work of Saif.
The brain behind the costume: The khakis and loose-fitting desi kurta-pajama that Saif was dressed in were altered and designed in such a way that when he walked, one of his legs looked bent and quite weak.
Months of practice: Saif himself had told in his interview that he had worked for weeks on his tricks to make one leg look thin and lifeless. He used to put his full weight on one leg and move the other leg forward only by dragging it. Because of this physical balance, one of his legs appeared completely weak and thin on the screen.
Got hair cut and teeth yellowed for looks
It took hours of time on the sets of the film to mold Saif into this look. Vishal Bhardwaj wanted Saif to not look like the Nawab of Pataudi. For this, Saif’s thick hair was cut in a very short and ugly manner. His face was always given the look of dust and sweat. Most importantly, a special kind of yellow and dirty paint (Nicotine Stain) was applied on his teeth, so that it seemed that he had been chewing tobacco for years. Saif’s mother Sharmila Tagore herself was surprised to see this look.
This is how I learned Kadhi Boli
Saif Ali Khan was brought up and educated abroad, due to which an English accent is always heard in his Hindi. In such a situation, the biggest challenge for Saif was to adapt the typical Khari dialect of Western Uttar Pradesh (Meerut-Hapur belt) to his own style. Vishal Bhardwaj had hired a local diction and language trainer (tutor) for Saif. Saif used to sit with that trainer for hours every day and practice the correct pronunciation and tone of words.
Months before the shooting started, Saif had reduced his speaking of English even in his normal life. He used to speak in the same UP accent on and off the set so that this dialect became his nature.
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The result of Vishal Bhardwaj’s strict direction and Saif Ali Khan’s hard work was that when ‘Omkara’ was released in theatres, Langra Tyagi was talked about more than the lead hero. For this character, he also received the Best Villain Award from Filmfare. This one character gave Saif Ali Khan a new identity in Bollywood as a very versatile actor.
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