From Venice to Uttar Pradesh: Adapting Othello to Omkara

Abstract

This paper explores the adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello into Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara through the lens of adaptation theory, focusing on the shift from the Venetian setting to rural Uttar Pradesh. Omkara reimagines the Shakespearean tragedy within the socio-political framework of India, translating themes of jealousy, power, and betrayal into the context of caste and regional power dynamics. By analysing how Omkara maintains the core narrative of Othello while transforming its characters, setting, and socio-cultural references, this paper investigates the tension between fidelity and creative freedom in adaptation. Using Robert Stam’s theory of adaptation discussed in his work Literature and Film: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Film Adaptation, the study addresses how Bhardwaj’s film retains Shakespeare’s tragic essence while making it accessible and relevant to an Indian audience. The paper also examines how Omkara reconfigures the representation of gender and power, recontextualizing Desdemona/Dolly and Iago/Langda within an Indian patriarchal structure. Through this comparative analysis, the paper highlights the fluidity of storytelling across cultures and the significance of localizing universal narratives to reflect contemporary societal concerns. An in-depth analysis of both the play and the film depicts how each work of adaptation is free from its source text as described by Robert Stam in his theory of adaptation, and how an adapted work would be situated in its contemporary situation where the societal conditions, norms, and gender roles would vary with the changing time periods and spaces. A comparison between Shakespeare’s Othello and Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara shows how the issue of fidelity is totally out of question and how a piece of art transcends the temporal and spatial boundaries.