It's a pity screenplays adapted from English works are not considered for entry into to the Oscars.

Dark and brooding, this remake of Othello stayed true to Shakespeare's vision of the jealous moor, despite being set in the fetid atmosphere of a small North Indian town.

Omkara is the lieutenant to a corrupt politician, and the battle against the Turks is translated to a turf battle for political control. Much has been said about the clever reworking of the original play and the little nods that the director Vishal Bhardwaj gives to Shakespeare's creation, like the black shawl Omkara wears to convey the black moor that Othello was.

But to my mind, one of the most remarkable things about this movie is its perfect casting. Ajay Devgan and Kareena Kapoor are exactly suited to the parts of Othello and Desdemona, with the latter's unmade-up face living up to the description of 'a skin whiter than snow and smooth as monumental alabaster.'

Both Ajay and Kareena give powerful performances but the scene-stealer of the movie is Saif Ali Khan as Iago, almost unrecognisable as a limping, pan-chewing, henchman with ambition.