When Shahid Kapoor and Vishal Bhardwaj announced their reunion, the joy of cinema lovers knew no bounds. And why not? The duo has given us memorable films like ‘Haider’ and ‘Kaminey’. Expectations from ‘O Romeo’ were sky high and the film lives up to those expectations in the beginning, but the pace of the story suddenly slows down in the second half. You know that there is a special mood with Vishal Bhardwaj’s films. It remains. It does not rush to explain itself. And in O Romeo, that mood tries to wrap itself around love, violence, and something soft that lurks beneath. However, this delicate muslin cover begins to unravel in the second half of the film.
Story: A bloody tale of love and revenge
‘O Romeo’ is based on Hussain Zaidi’s book ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai’, in which Vishal Bhardwaj has made many changes according to him. A fearsome gangster, who falls in love with Afshan (Tripati Dimri) and becomes ‘Romeo’. Afshan wants to avenge the death of her childhood love and husband (Vikrant Massey), who is murdered by the ruthless Jalal (Avinash Tiwari). Does Jalal reach his destination? How does a gangster fall in love and how does Afshan’s revenge come true? This is the basic story of the film.
O Romeo: Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj
Vishal Bhardwaj directs his films in a unique way. It’s poetic, almost like art. Falling in love here is slow, and death is even slower, almost mysterious. The film seems tight in its cinematography and direction but the second half starts to slow down. There are twists and turns, but after a point, they don’t really excite.
Acting: The actors took command
The real strength of the film is its cast:-
Shahid Kapoor: Shahid once again proves that he is at his best under Vishal’s direction. As ‘Ustra’ he has shown quiet madness and intensity. Her character has a strange blend of terror and tenderness, which creates magic on screen.
Tripti Dimri:Reminiscent of her ‘Bulbul’ avatar, Tripti does a fantastic job as Afshaan. The silence in his eyes is more effective than the dialogues. He has got the best role in the film.
Avinash Tiwari: As the villain ‘Jalal’, Avinash has created terror with his physical appearance and acting. His entrance (the blufffighting scene) is impressive, which speaks to his power.
Other artists: Nana Patekar has shown sincerity in the character of Ismail Khan. National award winning singer Rahul Deshpande has been successful in creating hatred in the role of the villainous inspector. Cameos by Vikrant Massey, Tamannaah Bhatia, Disha Patani, Farida Jalal and Aruna Irani light up the screen.
O Romeo: Songs and Poems
In Vishal Bharadwaj’s films, love happens – but not easily. People don’t love easily. They circle each other. They resist, they feel pain, they hold back. O Romeo follows the same pattern. Love is not resting here. It is expensive. It has a cost. Sometimes too much.
Arijit Singh’s voice sounds almost hypnotic on the big screen. It doesn’t just run in the background; It draws you in. The songs do not interrupt the story; They deepen it.
Dialogues also play an important role in the film. Like, when Jalal says, “Jalal’s love is expensive, don’t buy enmity” – it stays in your mind. It tells you everything about the film before it tells you. Full marks to the poem; However, the film becomes confusing in its attempt to make it an interesting thriller – this is where O Romeo falls apart.
Oh where does Romeo go wrong?
It doesn’t happen all at once. Cracks start gradually. The first half draws you in. It has the mood, the tension, the familiar rhythm of Vishal Bhardwaj where everything feels layered and a little unpredictable. You feel the build-up. The promise of something deeper.
But the second half struggles to live up to that promise. The screenplay begins loosely. What previously seemed tight and controlled, almost like a delicate thread that you can’t quite grasp, begins to unravel. The speed decreases. Scenes drag on longer than they should, and the emotional intensity that once seemed slow becomes uneven.
Yes, there are twists. The story tries to surprise you. But after a point, they stop turning. They don’t flinch, they don’t advance, they don’t linger. You see them coming, or worse, you don’t quite realize when they come.
Even the central emotional arc that’s meant to propel the film doesn’t always feel as strong as it should. The idea that love and violence can co-exist, that even the darkest characters have a soft side, is fascinating. But in the second half it didn’t show as much depth as it needed to. So, while the film looks beautiful and poetic in parts, it loses its grip. And this is where O Romeo bows. Not in intention, but in compliance.
O Romeo: The Last Judgment
O Romeo has the mood, performances and poetic story you expect from Vishal Bhardwaj. Shahid Kapoor and Tripti Dimri grab your attention, and the music resonates. But the film doesn’t quite come together.
What starts out promising slowly loses its grip, especially in the second half where the writing weakens and the emotional impact fades. It looks beautiful, it feels good, but it doesn’t stay with you the way it should. It’s not a bad movie. It is not entirely satisfactory.
2.5 out of 5 stars for O Romeo.