Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj's 2006 drama 'Omkara' stands as one of Saif Ali Khan's most appreciated films due to his portrayal of the shrewd Langda Tyagi. His performance earned him immense praise, marking it as one of the highlights in his acting career. Interestingly, the director has now revealed that Aamir Khan was initially interested in essaying the role of Saif Ali Khan's character.
The 'Haider' director shared that Saif Ali Khan was cast because he was ready to put in all the hard work but the drawback was that he was unwilling to cut his hair. He revealed, "With great effort, we convinced him to cut his hair because he was not ready to cut it. Other than that he was more than I asked for.”
The director said, "For Saif, I think, Aamir is responsible for that." Addressing the same, Bhardwaj said that, during that time, he was planning a film with Aamir. "We were doing that film together, so I spent a lot of time with Aamir. He is lovely company, and it’s fun to hang around with him. Aamir would share what he had in his mind and ask me what I had in my mind to plan for the future. So, I told him that I have this Othello, and this Langda Tyagi character with me.”
This intrigued the 'Lagaan' actor who said, "Whenever you make this film, I’d love to be considered for Langda Tyagi." The director further added, "So that remained with me, but the film didn’t happen, I wasn’t working for one and a half years. I wanted to make a film desperately, so I thought if this character can excite Aamir so much, then I can excite some another star with this. At the time, I had seen Saif’s work."
When asked about why Aamir was not chosen to act in 'Omkara,' Bhardwaj revealed, "He was busy, he did 'Rang De Basanti,' and I didn’t want to get stuck for another one and a half years. I wanted to (make the film), with whoever I get."
Vishal Bhardwaj directed and co-wrote 'Omkara' alongside Abhishek Chaubey and Robin Bhatt. This film is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, and features a star-studded cast including Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Konkana Sen Sharma, Vivek Oberoi, and Bipasha Basu. Released in 2006, the movie became an instant hit, both critically and commercially, and bagged three National Film Awards.
