When we think of the terror tanks and the jihadi groups like Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Al-Mujahideen the name Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh links us to all of these. This Britisher became popular in the terror kingdom by completing some of the most dangerous tasks like the kidnapping of westerners and Wall Street journalist Daniel Pearl. Omar’s life is a unique expression of terrorism. An educated and well-brought-up man joining the terror forces is bound to spike curiosity. And that it did to the writer and actor Mukul Dev. Hence was born Hansal Mehta’s biopic on the terror tyrant Omar Saeed Sheikh. Omar’s role is played by Rajkummar Rao in the film. The film takes us on a journey right from the Westerner’s kidnapping case to 9/11, Daniel Pearl’s murder, and then the 26/11 attacks of Mumbai.
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It wasn’t Omar’s ability to be violent and wreaking havoc by causing fear and destruction but his ability to do so after being trained not to do it all his life! If it makes sense, Omar’s parents were unaware and unsupportive of their son’s weird ambitions. Few know that Omar has served a prison prior to his life sentence (death penalty) for the Daniel Pearl murder case. Omar’s unsuccessful attempt at kidnapping and torturing three Britons and an American landed him straight in the Tihar Jail. Omar tried to run but failed in an attempt to hide from the police!
For the ones who have not seen the film, there is a scene in which the torture meted out to Omar at the Tihar jail is shown. But it is Omar’s approach towards it that separates him from the other prisoners. Omar is shown to be tough and determined. His unwavering faith for Allah does not end even in prison. In the film, he is shown keeping the ‘Roza’ (fast) that the Muslim community indulges in. For the Roza to be successful one must fast for the entire day and eat before dawn or after dusk. But the rules of jail prevent the eating before dawn and after dusk sessions. This leads to the Muslim prisoners skipping their practice of Roza. But Omar belittles them and forces them not to eat a month saying, ‘Ek mahina kahoge nahi toh marr nahi jaoge’.
The counsellor of the prison has also related a few incidents. He said that ‘Omar was often very violent in his ideas. He is a brilliant person who can be a great person with abundant knowledge if put to the right use. But his violence and mindset were far from changeable.’ Omar Saeed Sheikh was also known as the most violent student in his class. He once knocked off a teacher by hitting him in the face!
Omar Saeed was freed from Tihar jail when the Air India flight IC 814 was hijacked by jihadis. The hijackers demanded the release of three terrorists and Omar Saeed was one of them. He later went on to indulge in the illegal wire transfer of funds for 9/11 and then Daniel Pearl’s murder. Omar Saeed was arrested and charged for the journalist’s murder but this did not stop him from indulging in folly. He called the parliaments of India and Pakistan posing to be an enemy and threatened them. He is currently out as he has served his sentence and has been acquitted.
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