Apr. 20, 2018|India|96 Min.
Genre: Action;Bollywood;Crime;Drama
Description: Omerta is a 2017 Indian biographical crime drama film directed by Hansal Mehta, featuring Rajkumar Rao in the lead role as Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British terrorist of Pakistani origin. The movie delves into the 1994 kidnappings of Westerners in India, for which Omar was arrested and imprisoned, and his involvement in the 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl.
Produced by Nahid Khan of Swiss Entertainment and Shaailesh R Singh of Karma Features, the film was showcased at several prestigious festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival, Florence Film Festival, Hong Kong International Film Festival, and Busan International Film Festival. It also served as the closing night feature at the 2018 New York Indian Film Festival. The first trailer was launched on March 14, 2018, followed by a second trailer on April 23, 2018. Omerta officially premiered on May 4, 2018, garnering mostly positive reviews from critics.
Critics praised Rajkumar Rao’s powerful performance, with many highlighting his chilling portrayal of the antagonist. Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost awarded the film 3.5 stars, while Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN described it as a gripping narrative. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV lauded Rao’s pitch-perfect acting in this intense thriller, and Sweta Kaushal of The Hindustan Times commended the film’s spine-chilling execution. However, some reviewers, like Dennis Harvey, noted the lack of clear motivation behind the depicted crimes, while Shalini Langer of The Indian Express found it to be a passionless biopic.
Overall, Omerta was recognized as a dramatic and brutal exploration of terrorism, earning a mix of acclaim and critique for its storytelling and performance.
Cast director: Hansal Mehta
Cast actor: Rajkummar Rao, Rajesh Tailang, Rupinder Nagra
Original name: Omertà