‘Omerta’ movie review: Rajkummar Rao as Omar gives a riveting performance

Directed By: Hansal Mehta
Produced By: Shailesh R. Singh, Nahid Khan
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Timothy Ryan Hickernell, Keval Arora, Sanjeev Chopra
Duration: 1hour 36 minutes
Bollywood Bubble Rating: 2.5

Accomplished filmmaker Hansal Mehta in ‘Omerta’ tells the malevolent story of the violence committed by Omar Sheikh (played by Rajkummar Rao) a British citizen of Pakistani descent, who had links to various Islamist militant organizations and was also responsible for several terrorist activities in India and Pakistan. The filmmaker has left no stone unturned while mounting this evil-crime drama. Though it is brilliantly crafted, the film lacks a soul.

The film exposes state-sponsored terrorism and how it manipulates young minds into believing a sordid interpretation of struggle or fight against the enemies of one’s religion. The movie documents Omar Sheikh’s cold-blooded journey. A bright student, pursuing his education from London School, Omar, leaves everything to join Islamic aid expedition in order to provide some kind of help to his religion.

The title ‘Omerta’ is a code of silence followed by the Italian Mafia, wherein they never give evidence to the police. In Hansal Mehta’s film, it refers to the attitude of ordinary people who look the other way and don’t bring the criminals to books.

The well-edited nerve-wracking tale inadvertently glorifies terrorism. It opens with a deviously planned kidnapping of a group of foreigners in Delhi and ends with the beheading of Daniel Pearl (Timothy Ryan Hickernell), in Pakistan. There are many dialogues and images in this film that will make you wince and squirm.

Rajkummar Rao is impressive, he has delivered a brilliant performance as the emotionally inclined but brutally barbarous, and well-educated member of the holy war. But out here, he is not his best because his character is underwritten. Timothy Ryan Hickernell offers an earnest portrayal. Keval Arora as Saeed Sheikh – Omar’s helpless and lost father is sincere.

Mandar Kulkarni’s sound and Anuj Rakesh Dhawan’s cinematography is simple yet effective. Ishaan Chhabra’s music seamlessly matches with the narrative.

The film is engaging in the first half. The second half loses it sheen due to the poor editing that seems a tad tacky and a rushed job to wrap this non-conclusive narrative. The major flaw of the movie was Omar’s character development. His transformation from a student to a kidnapper with no reason to why and when, leaving a sense of incompleteness.

All in all, watch it for Rajkummar Rao’s performance.

Watch the trailer here: