Why Saif Ali Khan Became Langda Tyagi in Omkara Instead of Aamir Khan!

In 2006, when Vishal Bhardwaj’s movie “Omkara” was released, one character really stood out—Langda Tyagi, played by Saif Ali Khan. His acting, style, and way of speaking caught everyone’s attention. But did you know Saif wasn’t the first actor considered for this role? Aamir Khan wanted to play the villain.

According to Robin Bhatt, who wrote the movie, Aamir was excited about playing the bad guy. But the team decided he wasn’t the right fit for the role. So, they picked Saif, even though they thought he might have trouble speaking with the right accent from western Uttar Pradesh.

Robin was impressed by Saif’s determination. He took special classes with an acting coach who worked with him around the clock. Saif even cut his long hair to match the character and created a whole new look that everyone loved. He spent a lot of time with Deepak Dobriyal, who played Rajan Tiwari, to learn how to speak and act just right.

Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, “Omkara” also starred Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vivek Oberoi, Naseeruddin Shah, and Bipasha Basu. This movie is the second in Vishal’s trilogy of films based on Shakespeare plays, which includes “Maqbool” (2004) and “Haider” (2014). “Omkara” was a hit and won three awards at the 54th National Film Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Konkona Sen Sharma.