March 14, 2017
"Omerta" director Hansal Mehta, who unveiled the gritty trailer of the film
here on Wednesday, says his idea behind making an "uncomfortable film" is to
make the audience face the truth.
The film, starring Rajkummar Rao, is
based on British-Pakistani terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh. Its trailer was launched
here at an event.
Mehta said: "'Omerta' 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."
According to Mehta, "Omerta" 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," he added.
The National Award winning Rajkummar,
who has delivered impactful performances in his past associations with Mehta,
plays an anti-hero in the movie for the first time.
"'Omerta' 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 a
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 'Omerta' 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," he said.
The film is shot in real locations across
London and India while recreating Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Presented by
Swiss Entertainment and Karma Media, and produced by Nahid Khan, the film is
releasing on April 20.