O Romeo Movie Review: Shahid Kapoor leads strongly but Vishal Bhardwaj’s narrative weakens after a point

When Shahid Kapoor and Vishal Bhardwaj first announced their collaboration on a new film, cinephiles were overjoyed. And why wouldn’t they be? Shahid Kapoor and Vishal Bhardwaj have previously delivered both critical and commercial successes with films like Haider and Kaminey. Hence, when O Romeo was announced, our expectations were heightened. And the film does take off, too, in the first half. Only to face a steep decline towards the end. 

You know, there’s a certain mood that comes with a Vishal Bhardwaj film. It lingers. It doesn’t rush to explain itself. And in O Romeo, that mood tries to wrap itself around love, violence, and something softer hiding underneath. However, the delicate mulmul wrap begins to unravel in the second half of the film.

O Romeo: The Story

O Romeo is loosely based on Mafia Queens of Mumbai by Hussain Zaidi. Vishal Bhardwaj has taken the liberty to play around with the characters. The film also uses names such as Ustara (played by Shahid Kapoor). He is a gangster who turns ‘Romeo’ after falling in love with Triptii Dimri’s Afshan and sets out to avenge the cruelty she has endured, including the death of her husband (played by Vikrant Massey) at the hands of Jalal (Avinash Tiwary). Whether or not the evil Jalal is killed in the end, how Ustara falls in love, how Afshan avenges the death of her childhood sweetheart - form the crux of the story.

O Romeo: Vishal Bhardwaj’s direction

There is a certain way Vishal Bhardwaj directs his films. It’s poetic, almost like art. Here, falling in love is slow, and death even slower, almost mystical. The film feels tight in its cinematography and direction, but the screenplay falls flat. The first half carries a sense of adrenaline and momentum; however, the second half begins to drag. There are twists and turns, but after a point, they fail to excite truly.

O Romeo: Performances

O Romeo’s strength lies in its stellar cast. Shahid Kapoor, once again, shines. With Bhardwaj directing him, Shahid doesn’t play it straight. He never does here. As Ustara (Jalal), he carries a quiet insanity and intensity, the kind that finds a perfect balance between explosive and simmering. There’s restraint, but also vulnerability. Even when he’s dangerous, there’s a strange softness to him. He truly carries the film on his shoulders when the screenplay starts to drop.

Triptii Dimri returns to familiar magic. Her role as Afshan feels like a callback to her Bulbbul days. There’s the same haunting stillness, the same ability to say more with her eyes than dialogue ever could. Needless to say, Triptii had the meatiest role in O Romeo.

Nana Patekar as Ismail Khan is sparsely spread throughout the film. He has an important role, and the actor led his part with the utmost sincerity. Avinash Tiwary, as the evil Jalal, is introduced to you through a bullfighting scene. That way, the makers cleverly tried to create an impression of his power that transcends just phone calls, money and connections. His bulked-up physical transformation for the part deserves a special mention. The actor establishes a sense of dread right from the start. Yet, he is deeply devoted to his wife, and the makers attempt to reveal his ‘Romeo’ side too, suggesting that even the most ruthless carry a soft, vulnerable corner.

National award-winning classical singer Rahul Deshpande plays the evil Inspector Jayant Pathare. He does a great job at making you hate his character. And if a villain manages to make you feel so, it's a job well done. His gift as a singer is also cleverly utilised by Bhardwaj in the film. Vikrant Massey, Tamannaah Bhatia, Disha Patani, Farida Jalal and Aruna Irani appear in extended cameos and light up the screen. Every single character does a well-rounded job.

O Romeo: Songs and poetry

In Vishal Bhardwaj’s films, love exists - but not the easy kind. People don’t fall in love simply. They circle each other. They resist, they ache, they hold back. O Romeo follows that same pattern. Love here is not comfort. It’s expensive. It costs something. Sometimes too much.

The voice of Arijit Singh on the big screen feels almost hypnotic. It doesn’t just play in the background; it pulls you in. The songs don’t interrupt the story; they deepen it.

Dialogues also play an important part in the film. For instance, when Jalal says, “Jalal ki mohabbat hi mehengi hain, ranjhish mat kharid lena” - it stays with you. It tells you everything about who he is before the film even tries to spell it out. Full marks to the poetry; however, the film gets confusing during attempts to make it a gripping thriller - that’s where O Romeo falters. 

Where does O Romeo falter?

It doesn’t happen all at once. The cracks begin quietly. The first half pulls you in. There’s mood, tension, that familiar Vishal Bhardwaj rhythm where everything feels layered and slightly unpredictable. You feel the build-up. The promise of something deeper.

But the second half struggles to hold that promise. The screenplay starts to loosen. What felt tight and controlled earlier begins to unravel, almost like a delicate thread you can’t quite hold together. The pacing dips. Scenes stretch longer than they should, and the emotional intensity that once felt simmering turns uneven.

There are twists, yes. The story does try to surprise you. But after a point, those turns stop landing. They don’t shock, don’t move, don’t stay. You see them coming, or worse, you just don’t feel enough when they arrive.

Even the central emotional arc, which is meant to carry the film, doesn’t always hit as hard as it should. The idea that love and violence can coexist, that even the darkest characters have a soft corner, is compelling. But it isn’t explored with the depth it needs in the latter half.

So while the film looks beautiful and feels poetic in parts, it loses grip. And that’s where O Romeo falters. Not in intent, but in follow-through.

O Romeo: The final verdict

O Romeo has the mood, the performances, and flashes of the poetic storytelling you expect from Vishal Bhardwaj. Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri hold your attention, and the music lingers. But the film doesn’t quite come together.

What begins with promise slowly loses grip, especially in the second half where the writing weakens and the emotional impact fades. It looks beautiful, it sounds good, but it doesn’t stay with you the way it should. It’s not a bad film. It’s just not a fully satisfying one either.

2.5 out of 5 stars for O Romeo.

Also read: O'Romeo: Shahid Kapoor, Triptii Dimri's film is inspired by which book?