The politics of jealousy and misogyny of Othello in Omkara

Abstract

This article focuses on how William Shakespeare's plays may be translocated into the Indian setting. It analyses the approaches undertaken by film director Vishal Bhardwaj in transforming Othello into Omkara (2006). The dominant readings of the film suggest how Othello's colour and race have been adapted into Omkara's caste identity to fit it to the Indian context. I argue though, that Bhardwaj banks on the emotion of jealousy and insecurity arising from the emotion while downplaying the subject of caste.

The dominant readings of Omkara, Vishal Bardwaj's film adaptation of Othello, suggest how the title character's colour and race has been adapted into Omkara's (Othello) caste identity to translocate the film into the Indian setting. As Claire Chambers suggests, Bhardwaj transplants Shakespeare's concern with race onto caste. ¹ Mark Burnett, Amrita Dhar, and Alfredo Michel Modenessi appear to share the same sentiment, and have based their enquiries around this reading of the film. ² Saksham Sharda also follows this line of argument:

The approach taken by Vishal Bhardwaj to adapting Othello for Indian cinema seems … straightforward: in his film Omkara he substitutes caste for race, so that Othello is of a lower caste than Desdemona, setting the scene for the tragedy suggest that the colour of Othello has been adapted into the caste of Omkara by Bhardwaj. ³

These findings conclude that Bhardwaj deals with Othello's race by reimagining Omkara as belonging to lower caste than Dolly, which becomes the main cause for the tragedy that ensues. I would argue, though, that Bhardwaj banks on the emotion of jealousy and insecurity arising from the emotion while downplaying the subject of caste in his film.

Bhardwaj takes a cautious approach by making Omkara a ‘half caste’ and not a member of the low caste (‘half caste’ is a term rarely used in the Indian society). Omkara is referred to as a half caste by three people alone; first, in the opening shots with Langda (Iago) in conversation with Rajju (Roderigo), informing him how Rajju's to-be-wife, Dolly, will be abducted by the ‘half caste’ (Omkara) if he fails to reach the place on time (00:04:34). Later, Omkara is called a ‘half caste’ by Vakil Sahab (Brabantio) on two occasions: first, while confronting Omkara himself (00:10:22) and a second time when he is complaining of Dolly's abduction by Bhai Sahab, the Duke figure in the film (00:14:32). The final reference as a ‘half caste’ occurs when Rajju arouses feelings of resentment in Langda against Omkara (00:45:11). Even where Vakil Sahab refers to Omkara's mother, he says:

I had forgotten that you are a Half-Brahman [half-high caste],

You also have the blood of a Kanjari [prostitute] running inside you […]

[I] had forgotten that you are a half-caste. That bloody slave girl had borne you’. (00:10:22; my translation)

Bhardwaj also ensures that no derogatory caste related term is used to show the status of Omkara's mother, as that would be a discrimination against her and forbidden by law. Rather, he resorts to presenting Omkara's mother a person of immoral character. Even Omkara himself, while confessing to Dolly for the first time about his parents’ murky past, admits his mother is from a different caste instead of a lower caste: ‘My mother belonged to a different caste and that is why I am called by people as a half-caste’ (00:50:54). As such, Bhardwaj may be viewed as having taken a safe approach to the issue of caste by attempting to avoid arousing negative sentiments of discrimination in the people of the low caste community by marginalising them. Rather, he uses a method to deal with this prevalent issue in a manner that does not disrespect anyone's feelings. Rachel Dwyer explains this approach in Bombay cinema as follows: ‘The silence on the caste issue could be to avoid controversies or censorship. When caste is mentioned, there may be objections to hurting the feelings of a community – hence the removal of the word’. ⁴

The second reason for Bhardwaj making Omkara a half caste and not a low caste could be to accentuate the level of otherness. In the traditional Indian cultural context caste communities have become strong cohesive tight-knit groups that realise that their power lies with them staying together. Thus, when Bhardwaj displaces Omkara from the Brahman community by making his mother a prostitute, he brings in the concept of Varna Sankar. It is a term used for the children who are begot by the marriage of people belonging to different Varnas, a social structure that pre-dates the caste system even as it anticipated some of its features. This aspect of Omkara makes him an Indian version of Othello: both are outsiders within their social structure. However, in Shakespeare's play, Othello's double-outsider status as both a Moor and Black results in him being subjected to racial slurs such as ‘thicklips’ (1.1.65), ‘an old black ram’ (1.1.87) and ‘devil’ (1.1.90). Invoking the concept of Varna Sankar enables Bhardwaj to articulate Omkara's outsider status through him being seen and called a half caste and also explaining the disdain Vakil Sahab has for him.

Another reason for Bhardwaj's choice to identify Omkara as a member of the low caste could be that, as such, a substantial population of the region of Uttar Pradesh (where the film is set), would identify with him, and he would no longer be an outsider. In the play, Iago makes Roderigo believe that Desdemona loves Cassio: he says that they have the same appearance, and that Othello is dark, thus again bringing in the disparity of colour between the lovers: ‘First I must tell thee this: Desdemona is directly in love with him [Cassio]. / Roderigo: With him? Why,'tis not possible. / Iago: … Her eye must be fed and what delight will she have to look on the devil?’ (2.1.216–24). By comparison, Kesu's upper caste status is never brought to light. In fact, he is called Kesu firangi, owing to him being aware of the English language in a village setting that makes him stand out amongst the lot. Thus, the issue of caste and Dolly being compatible with a person belonging to high caste doesn't come into play. However, Dolly and Kesu being educated together makes them compatible, as exclaimed by Langda (01:22:50). Omkara himself thinks that it is not about caste, but rather compatibility with Dolly as he is a brute. When being quizzed by Dolly on why he considers her to be a fool, Omkara replies, ‘Because you are extremely beautiful and fell in love with a person like me’ (01:14:53). Thus, Omkara's insecurities stem from him being uneducated and uncultured. The same point is raised by Vakil Sahab also, when he is confronted by Bhai Sahab, who is defending the match by stating that Omkara is not a womaniser. Vakil Sahab responds: ‘You also know Dolly from her childhood days, do you think she would have willingly eloped with a scary, uncultured goon?’ (00:14:00). Thus, it can be clearly seen that it is not the caste difference between the couple that leads to their downfall but rather the effect of jealousy.

Bhardwaj also borrows heavily and relies on religious texts and Hindu mythological figures, which makes it another measure through which the film is culturally recontextualised in the Indian scenario. As Lalita Pandit Hogan states, ‘In naming the main characters loosely or tightly around the idea of Hindu Trinity, and filming them partially as such, Bhardwaj translates Biblical and other mythic referents in Shakespeare's play into an indigenous context’. ⁵ I will build on her argument and show how Bhardwaj has not just focused on the Hindu trinity while imagining his characters but has also taken into consideration other gods and goddesses.

Omkara has his name derived from Om, a revered sound in the Hindu religion, mostly associated with worshipping Shiva. Omkara is said to possess warlike features like Rudra, another avatar (incarnation) of Shiva. Dolly can be seen as a manifestation of Sita because the way in which she is abducted has a resonance of Sita-Haran (kidnapping of Sita by the demon Ravana), from the Ramayana. Another point of contact between Dolly and the mythical figure of Sita is that even though both are chaste in their relationship they have to face trial to prove their innocence. Ishwar (Langda) Tyagi, as his name ‘Ishwar’, meaning God, suggests, can be said to be the invisible driving God-like force that stimulates all action and has an unknown power and commands influence on everyone. Bhardwaj has made changes to the play in making fate another conspirator against the lovers. It appears that Langda made the cosmic forces of destiny turn in his favour. While Iago makes Emilia steal the handkerchief for him (3.3.313), in the film Langda gets the waistband without any prior manipulation, and it is once he gets hold of the waistband that he begins his revenge.

Another mythological connection is established with the name Langda, meaning lame, which Mike Heidenberg attributes to another mythological figure, Sani. ‘Sani whose name means “the slow-moving one”, also walks with a limp’. ⁶ This figure is also associated with bad luck, ⁷ and thus the growing influence of Langda in Omkara's life can be equated to the beginning of Omkara's downfall. Indu can be equated to goddess Kali when she avenges the death of Dolly by murdering her husband Langda. As Heidenberg states, ‘[Indu can be seen] as a manifestation of a vengeful deity’. ⁸ The goddess Kali's weapon is a sickle, and Bhardwaj in the introductory shot of Indu (00:36:30) shows her holding a sickle and cutting grass. This very sickle is then shown again in the final scenes where Indu uses the sickle to put Langda to death for his misdeeds (02:22:53). The name Indu means Moon and according to Hindu mythology, the Moon protects the inhabitants of the Earth in the night from evil forces that lurk in the dark. Similarly, Indu too redresses the wrongs meted out on Dolly by Langda, and the scenes take place in the darkness of the night where Indu as a protector of good forces fights against the evil power (Langda) and defeats them. Thus, all the characters in Omkara have religious allusions attached to them.

Mythology is once again invoked in the promise that Omkara makes to Dolly. He calls his promise to be ‘Dashrath ka Vaada’ ⁹ (01:20:29). In an attempt to wake up a sleeping Dolly, Omkara assures her that if she wakes up, he is bound to fulfil her one wish. This is referred to in the lyrics (Omkara is singing a lullaby to wake Dolly up) as ‘Dashrath ka Vaada’. By inserting these mythological reference points, Bhardwaj follows an established Hindi cinematic trope.

Transculturally adapting objects and props

Bhardwaj adapted the magical ‘first gift’ (3.3.339), handkerchief of Othello to the ‘family heirloom’ (00:53:26) of the waistband in Omkara. Here, Bhardwaj remains close to the text in adapting the ‘handkerchief spotted with strawberries’ (3.4.437), as both the objects (handkerchief to Othello and waistband to Omkara) were given to them by their mothers respectively to be gifted to their wives in turn:

Othello. […] That handkerchief

Did an Egyptian to my mother give,

She was a charmer and could almost read

The thoughts of people. She told her, while she kept it

'Twould make her amiable and subdue my father

Entirely to her love; but if she lost it

Or made a gift of it, my father's eye

Should hold her loathed and his spirits should hunt

After new fancies. She, dying gave it to me

And bid me, when my fate would have me wived,

To give it her. I did so […] (3.4.58–68)

Similarly, with respect to the waistband in the film:

Omkara. Here, wear this on your waist.

Dolly. Whose jewellery is this?

Omkara. This is not just some random jewel this is a family heirloom. It is a symbol of prestige of my ancestors. It has been worn by the women of this house for generations. Starting today this belongs to you. (00:53:17)

Bhardwaj also remains true to the spirit of the handkerchief when he makes the waistband an erogenous object of desire associated with the marital bed and consummation of love. Just as the handkerchief is equated to the white bed linen, and the embroidery of strawberries, to the virginal blood. ¹⁰ Bhardwaj substitutes the handkerchief for a waistband in Omkara, a piece of jewellery worn near the navel area by women, making it sit in position close to private body parts of the wearer.

Bhardwaj made significant changes to the play's ending in his film adaptation. The major difference is that while Emilia dies at the hands of Iago (5.2.233), we see that Indu does not meet the same fate. Her last appearance is when she is shown sitting by the well, hair dishevelled, looking inside the well and crying (02:26:19). Various scholars have interpreted this scene differently. While Burnett says: ‘Indu/Emilia tips her husband into the communal well in a striking illustration of the ultimate execution’, ¹¹ Rebecca Dmello concludes that Indu ‘take[s] her own life by jumping in a well and committing suicide’. ¹² I would however argue that since Indu has been shown as the Kali figure in the film's ending, her looking inside the well signifies that all the water of the well will now help quench her thirst. This appears as well to be the case with goddess Kali: while fighting against the demon Rakht Beej, she has to drink his blood immediately after slaying him, ¹³ since if his drop of blood falls on the ground the demon will multiply. Thus, once the fight is over her thirst for blood is quenched, when Bhardwaj reimagines Indu as Kali. Another point that invokes Kali is the close association of the incidents that take place in the religious texts and the film. In the texts, after the goddess has killed the demon, she is still filled with rage and begins on a rampage to end the world. In order to appease the angry goddess, the other gods ask Shiva, the consort of Kali, to come to the rescue. He agrees and lies down amongst those slain by the angry goddess. When Kali steps foot on her husband, she realises her folly and in shame takes out her tongue and makes a wailing sound. ¹⁴ The same thing happens in the film: we see Indu making a loud mourning sound while looking inside the well (02:26:13). This may be interpreted as Indu being mortified for not fulfilling her wifely duties and the promise of always protecting her husband from harm.

Recontextualising Othello through social and cultural references

When a play is adapted in the Indian culture it is not just the mythology or the social norms like caste that get added, but there are also certain cultural norms that inevitably resonate. As Linda Hutcheon states: ‘It seems logical that time and place shifts should bring about alterations in cultural associations…’. ¹⁵ In this part, I will be focusing how various cultural and everyday norms affected the cultural recontextualising of Othello into the Indian setting. The first thing that would grab the attention of Western audiences or any person viewing the film unaware of the Indian society would be: ‘What relationship do Indu and Omkara share?’ If one were to go as per the English subtitles, they would believe that Indu and Omkara are real brother and sister. This discrepancy between the subtitles and the original language (Hindi) can be seen in the scene where Omkara is seen sulking in his wedding ceremony. Indu approaches and asks Omkara, ‘You can lie to the whole world, but I don't get fooled that easy. Your eyes give it away … Won't share it with your own sister?’ (02:04:00) and thus, blame Indu for stealing a family heirloom even when she knows the consequences of her action and the importance the jewellery has in Omkara's eyes. This analysis therefore makes Indu a more evil character than Langda. However, in the Indian cultural scenario it's a common thing to address the opposite gender as your brother, as that shows a sign of respect and bonding. My own translation of the dialogue highlights this nuance: ‘You can lie in front of the whole world, but I will not be fooled by your act. I can see the sadness clearly in your eyes. You consider me to be your sister, won't you share it with me?’ (02:04:00). This very inconsistency in the subtitles and the original dialogues leads to wrong assumptions and enquires being made by scholars. For example, Heidenberg considers Indu to be the sister of Omkara ¹⁶ (88) and therefore shoulders her with the enhanced responsibility of addressing the wrongs done to save the pride of the family. This finding however is not true when one sees the film with a knowledge of Indian cultural norms and languages.

The friendship that Langda and Rajju share is also more meaningful than the one shared between Iago and Roderigo. Iago can be seen mocking Roderigo:

Go to, farewell, put money enough in your purse.

Thus do I ever make my fool my purse:

For I mine own gained knowledge should profane

If I would time expend with such a snipe

But for my sport and profit. (1.3.381–5)

Langda, by contrast, considers Rajju to be his friend. He informs Rajju that Dolly is going to elope with Omkara and tries to ensure that Rajju reaches the location of the wedding on time, so that he can save Dolly from eloping with Omkara and thereby save himself from the embarrassment of being left without a bride at the altar (00:04:54). He saves Rajju from drowning when he learns that Rajju does not know how to swim and has jumped in the river to prove his love for Dolly (00:44:21). This friendship and the bond that Langda and Rajju share between them could be one of the reasons why Rajju too feels the disgruntlement that Langda feels on being side lined for promotion. I will therefore throw light on how Omkara takes a new approach on Iago's revenge when Bhardwaj makes Rajju requite Langda.

It is Rajju who first addresses Langda as bahubali (chief henchman), making Langda dream about acquiring this position. In the scene where Langda is shown sleeping, Rajju tries to wake him up. Langda is angry with Rajju for disturbing his sleep and abuses Rajju along with trying to hit him, Rajju at this moment exclaims, ‘Oh my God, the new bahubali is very merciless’ (00:31:35). Langda who is shown perplexed on hearing him being addressed so is given a known smirk by Rajju. In a different scene when Langda is overlooked for the position of chief henchman and he is shown silently suffering in agony, it is again Rajju who tries to convince Langda to redress the wrongs done to him:

What did you do when you did not become bahubali? Do I not know that for 15 years you have been limping behind the half-caste, and that English-speaking bastard comes and snatched the position from your very mouth in front of everybody? Where was your bravery then, had it gone on a stroll? (00:45:00)

Thus, in Omkara, Bhardwaj ensures that Rajju is not just a scapegoat in Langda's revenge, but rather a driving force that makes the tragedy take place. This change in approach of making Rajju not just a ‘young quat’ (5.1.11), killed at the hands of Iago (5.1.62), could be to show the patriarchal mentality that men have. Male prestige and masculinity are closely associated with domination of women and children; and since Dolly, Rajju's bride-to-be, eloped with another man he became the laughing stock in the society and amongst friends. Rajju thus seeks his revenge on Dolly by creating problems in her married life. As Dhar writes,

Notably, the male entitlement over Dolly is also manifested in Rajju's resentment over the loss of his bride. It is not simply stupidity, although there is that, that makes him follow Langda around; Rajju is also lured by Langda's promise that he, Rajju, will eventually enjoy Dolly. ¹⁷

Conclusion

I have attempted to shed light on the ways in which Shakespeare's Othello is translocated to the Indian setting in Omkara, along with analysing the major plot differences made to the source text and the reasons for such changes. By adding the Hindu mythic figures and alluding to gods and goddesses, Bhardwaj offers assorted points of connection to Indian audiences. He also reimagines the various props to make them ‘Indian’, and uses technology to set the play in a different time period. The sum of these techniques allows Bhardwaj to adapt the plot of Othello into a story of marital jealousy and insecurity, in a cultural context that borrows liberally from Indian traditions but at times may be unsettlingly familiar to its viewers.