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Omertà Trailer Promises A Film That is Thrilling Mind Numbing & Cerebral
by Prashant Kapadia/NHN
Excitement replaced anticipation as Director Hansal Mehta and Actor Rajkummar Rao released the trailer of the much awaited and internationally celebrated thriller Omertà at an event in Delhi today. Hansal Mehta’s gritty thriller based on British-Pakistani terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh had already raised expectations after its poster release earlier this week.
Unveiling the trailer of his gritty, edge of the seat thriller at a media event, director Hansal Mehta said, “Omertà takes a look at this complex paradox of a man called Omar Saeed Sheikh. It was a difficult subject to choose and a challenge to make. However, with an actor like Rajkummar, no challenge seems insurmountable and this was the ideal film to hurtle us out of our comfort zone to make something that is uncomfortable. But that is the burden of truth – it is uncomfortable and it must be faced. The film looks at what it means to be a fundamentalist and for someone to pick up a gun with the intent of killing in return for an afterlife in Paradise. I want to leave the viewer with a sense of awe, disgust, hate, surprise and let them examine the ramifications of these events on their lives today.”
Actor Rajkummar Rao, who plays an anti-hero for the first time, essays the role of Omar Saeed Sheikh, one of the deadliest terrorists of our times, with terror tactics going far beyond conventional thinking. “Omertà is among the most researched films that I have worked on till date. We actually visited some of the places frequented by Omar in London during his transformation from an LSE graduation student to becoming this deadly terrorist. I needed to feel and touch this man’s past – to ingest him. It was not an easy journey for me to take. With Omertà and Hansal Sir, we have a combination that will probably leave you stunned. There will be this moment of shock and silence as the end credits roll,” said Rajkummar Rao.
Omertà is the horrifying true story of one of the most dreaded terrorists of our times. Shot in real locations across London and India while recreating Pakistan and Afghanistan Hansal Mehta’s Omertà exposes the real and present danger of Pakistan sponsored terror. Woven around some of the most bloody terror attacks in recent history including the 9/11 world trade center attacks, the Mumbai Terror Strike and the brutal beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl, Omertà is a thriller that looks into the journey of an evil mind. The film premiered to excellent reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival 2017 followed by the Busan International Film Festival and a very successful screening of the Closing film at the Mumbai Film Festival 2017.
Presented by Swiss Entertainment and Karma Media, Produced by Nahid Khan and directed by Hansal Mehta, Omertà starring Rajkummar Rao releases on April 20th, 2018.
“It is no nation we inhabit, but a language. Make no mistake; our native tongue is our true fatherland.” – Emil Cioran.
He is a paradox among men. Son to a loving father, he is also the adopted son of a nation that sponsors terror outfits across the world.
Educated at LSE, he is also educated in urban warfare, bomb making, advanced psychological warfare and irregular tactics by the leaders of the craft. Abstaining from alcohol and tobacco, he drinks only milk. The plight of his brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers in the Bosnian War leaves him a wreck. Yet he does the same to innocents in his own brand of twisted justice, sanctioned at least in his eyes by all seeing, all-powerful God. He thinks of himself as a savior, adored by millions of fanatics. Yet wanted by almost every law enforcement agency in the world.
Living in a prison, he lords over his dominion, sowing the seeds of terror and discord, toppling governments and regimes. A spider pulling at a thousand strings in a web only he understands.
He is the man who almost set two nuclear ready nations at each other’s throats.
His name is Omar Saeed Sheikh.
Omertà is a mind numbing and cerebral take at this complex paradox of a man. Omertà is the code of silence, punishable by death if violated. The secrets of the real Omar will go with him to his grave; this Omertà is a look at trying to understand the mind of a man who is out of touch with the world. A man who lives two lives, a man who has a wife and child, but no friends except those who further his needs.
The films posits the question of what it means to be a fundamentalist, why does someone pick up a gun with the intent of killing in return for an afterlife in Paradise. Unapologetic in its approach, it lays down the bare facts and the facts alone and leaves the viewer with a sense of awe, disgust, hate, surprise and lets them examine the ramifications of these events in their lives today.