Hansal Mehta who previously helmed peculiar movies like ‘Aligarh’ and ‘Shahid’ is back with another interesting drama ‘Omerta’, which stars actor Rajkummar Rao in the titular role. Just like Hansal Mehta’s previous movies, Omerta is also based on the real event that portrays the story of a dreaded terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh.
Rajkummar Rao has proved his versatility and calibre as an actor in Bollywood. From his film ‘Newton’ winning the National Award to having massive success at the box office in 2017, Rajkummar Rao finally became the constant talk of the town. Rajkummar in this movie, will be seen bespectacled with heavily-bearded apprearance. Since he is a talented actor who easily moulds himlself in any character, it is further going to be exciting to watch him play a completely different role.
The story of this film is about bloody trail of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh ( played by Rao) , a British terrorist of Pakistani descent who kidnapped and murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002. In October 1994, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh was arrested and put behind the bars for the kidnappings of Western tourists in India. Five years later, he was freed from prison after hijackers took an Indian Airlines jet to Kandahar airport in southern Afghanistan.
Interestingly, in the year 2005, the story of Omerta was suggested to director Hansal Mehta by actor Mukul Dev, who marks his debut as a writer in this movie. Mehta said that when Dev told him the story, the internet was slow at that time. So the director had to buy books, archives and magazines for the research. He started developing the script but made Shahid (2012) with Rajkummar Rao. Add to more, Mehta credits Rao for being a reason for Omerta!
Believe it or not, Riz Ahmed, a British actor of Pakistani descent, who worked in movies such as ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’, and ‘Nightcrawler’ has got Hansal Mehta’s attention for the movie but as decided he gave it a go ahead with Rao. It is said that Rao watched several documentaries, videos, and hate speeches of Sheikh repeatedly to be ready for the role. He also added that he was disturbed while shooting for the film because of the character he was playing. He also said that it was the toughest character he has played so far.
At an International Film Festival, this movie has already earned many accolades. So, why wait? Book your tickets at your nearest Rajhans Cinemas and witness the history’s notorius terrorist and how he had taken a toll on many lives in this movie!