Aamir Khan was first choice for Langda Tyagi in Vishal Bharadwaj's Omkara, but...

Aamir Khan was the first choice for playing the iconic villain Langda Tyagi in director Vishal Bharadwaj's 2006 movie Omkara. However, writer Robin Bhatt shared that the filmmakers could not picture him playing the role.

Omkara is Vishal Bharadwaj's adaptation of Shakespeare's renowned play, Othello.

In a recent interview with the Friday Talkies, Robin Bhatt said, “Aamir was ready to do the villain’s role. However, at one point, we decided that Aamir was not the right choice for the film.”

He said their second choice was Saif Ali Khan. But with him, the makers faced the issue of dialect.

Local western UP dialect

After offering Langda Tyagi's role to Saif, the greatest challenge for him and the makers was the local dialect of western UP, where the story was set.

Since playing Langda Tyagi was very different for his other roles, Saif worked very hard.

Saif, who was unfamiliar with the dialect, made great effort to get into character. The Omkara writer shared that the actor made several changes for the role, including cutting his hair and hiring a tutor to learn the language.

“Saif’s problem was the language required here. But then he started going for tuitions, he started training with another, chopped his hair," Robin recalled.

Robin said he even travelled to the Maldives and Italy to focus on his character. He practised a lot with co-star Deepak Dobriyal, who helped him with the language.

Saif's hard work paid off on the Omkara set and he nailed his lines as Langda Tyagi in the first go.

Saif Ali Khan's portrayal of Langda Tyagi is considered one of his best in Bollywood.

Omkara was widely praised by critics for its strong performances, gripping story, and unique take on Shakespeare’s Othello. Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor played the lead roles in the film.