Ajay Devgan’s appearance at Saturday’s screening of indian film Omkara can easily be termed the highpoint of this year’s Karafilm Festival. The Bollywood actor is perhaps the biggest star the festival has had yet. Small wonder, then, that he stole the show.
Ajay Devgan alongside director Vishal Bhardwaj, producer Kumar Mangat and writer Robin Bhatt (brother of Mahesh Bhatt) had come to Karachi for the first time and film aficionados of this city greeted their presence with wonderment.
The Arts Council was filled to capacity. People outside were trying to cajole Kara volunteers into selling them a pass. inside, people were waiting to catch a glimpse of Ajay Devgan.
Due to a delay in flight, Ajay and the team of Omkara arrived at the very end of the film but as soon as Ajay walked in, a huge round of applause resonated from the crowd.
After the film finished, festival director Hasan Zaidi humorously commented that he had never seen so many people sit through closing credits. He then invited the indian guests to the stage and it was then that one got a good look at Ajay. in a dull gray suit, Ajay looked like a complete star. He waved to everyone as they clapped, hooted, and whistled. Some girls even screamed. At one point, Ajay said to the crowd, “You have to stop or we’ll go mad.”
Ajay Devgan spoke of how it had been just two hours since his arrival and the way he had been welcomed was overwhelming. Hasan Zaidi in a moment of gratitude thanked the indian delegation for coming to Karachi and also thanked Mahesh Bhatt, who was right at home in the audience, for making it possible.
Once the Q&A session began, the team of Omkara was bombarded with questions. One woman sitting in the audience said to the director that because of the language used in the film, she was unable to see it with her family.
Vishal responded in quick wit and said, “Don’t come with families.” On a serious note, he explained that the film was for mature audiences and should be seen by them alone.
Ajay Devgan was asked many questions including how he chose a film and he simply responded that it depended on the story. When asked what was his favourite scene in Omkara, he said it was up to the audiences to decide as they could tell where he was bad or good. in a moment of spontaneity, he said, “if i’m not good in a certain scene, i didn’t feel it. i try to feel everything!”
One girl took on the mike and told Ajay that she loved him and blew him a kiss; another girl took the opportunity of singing a song along with her twin sister to Ajay. When she asked permission to sing, Hasan Zaidi looked skeptical but Ajay being a complete sport asked her to go ahead.
Omkara, based on Shakespeare’s Othello, was also received well by the audiences. Even though most people in the audience had seen the film before, it was the presence of the indian stars that resulted in a sold-out show. Before the Q&A session finished, Ajay was told by one fan that the film was great and they all missed Kajol. Ajay sweetly said that we would love to come and shoot here. He said that he would convey their message to her.
Saif Ali Khan was also expected at the premiere of Omkara but he couldn’t make it.
