O’Romeo REVIEW: Shahid Kapoor, Vishal Bhardwaj Hit The Bullseye Once More; Deliver Complete Massy Entertainer

Film:
O'Romeo

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

Writer: Rohan Narula & Vishal Bhardwaj

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Triptii Dimri, Nana Patekar, Avinash Tiwary, Tamannaah Bhatia, Disha Patani, Farida Jalal, Vikrant Massey, Hussain Dalal, Rahul Deshpande

Platform: In Theatres

Runtime: 2 hours 58 minutes

O’Romeo Review

“Ishq mein aashiq tarr jaaye toh Romeo, marr jaye toh ch*t*ya.” This line spoken by ‘dadi’ Farida Jalal beautifully captures the essence of loves and the limits the characters in this movie will go to for it. Set in the mid to late 1990s (1995 to be exact), O’Romeo captures Mumbai (then-Bombay) when it was privy to gang wars and regular clashes between the police and gangsters. Amid bullets, blood and betrayals, love blossoms; but a rose without thorns is unheard of, and that’s exactly what we see here.

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Ustara (Shahid Kapoor) is a dangerous and dreaded gangster who lives on a wrecked ship on the coast of Mumbai and is responsible for killing several ‘scums of society’ at the behest of Inspector Khan. But why is Ustara doing the dirty work for the police? While Mumbai’s gang wars continue to make the headlines, in comes Afsha (Triptii Dimri), but not in a way you would assume. She’s not here to find love or romance the fluttering brown (mix of red and green) flag, she’s here to hire him for a hit job. Why does someone as innocent as Afsha want another person killed and is willing to sacrifice herself for it?

Despite living abroad, Jalal (Avinash Tiwary) has control over the gangs and politics of Mumbai. But who is he, and why does he and Ustara not see eye-to-eye? To know the answer to all these questions, one needs to watch O’Romeo at the earliest. And if you love blood, romance, drama and thrill, you will not be disappointed.

What Works

Shahid Kapoor’s spectacular performance. Vishal Bhardwaj’s stellar direction & chatpate dialogues that will make you chuckle, laugh and even get a little shock. Impeccable performances by the entire cast – especially Triptii, Nana, Tamannaah, Vikrant and Hussain Dalal.

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Technical Ananlysis

Direction

Vishal Bhardwaj deserves a round of applause for bringing out the menace we love seeing Shahid Kapoor as. He’s managed to capture a variety of emotions ranging from innocence and naiveness to determination, love, loss, betrayal and more just through the eyes of his actors. While Vishal’s films normally reach only a limited audiences soon after its release – as they are normally not extensively marketed, Sajid Nadiawala’s backing is sure to give it a push to reach more people.

Story & Dialogues

The story is not your typical – boy is a rogue, an innocent girl meets him, they fall in love, and she makes him a better man who quits crime soon after realizing he loves her. The narrative is real, especially when you keep in mind the time period the story is set in. There is good amounts of drama, danger and dhokebaazi but also romance, family and love for… let’s keep this a secret.

Another department Vishal aces in is the dialogue department. Trust me, the one liners you’ve heard in the trailer is just the tip of the iceberg of what’s in store for the three hours you will be in the theatres.

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Cinematography & Editing

O’Romeo is just 2minutes short of being a 3-hour-long film and still manages to keep you hooked from start to end. Even if you feel the time, it’s not because of the length but because you want to know if there is another twist all set to unfold before it’s time for the credits to roll by. The editing is crisp and to the point, no dilly, dallying, something, I personally admire a lot.

The cinematography and production design are also commendable and stay true to the decade it’s set it.

Music

The music by Vishal Bhardwaj is peppy and is sync with the era as well as the narrative of the film. They are spread out throughout the 3 hours making for a lovely viewing. The background score is also impressive and doesn’t overpower the script.

Cast

Every time Shahid Kapoor and Vishal Bhardwaj have collaborated on-screen, we have been treated to a performance that only sets new milestones in Shahid’s acting graph. After delivering iconic characters like Haider Meer, Charlie and Guddu Sharma with their first two collabs, they have now brought a character that’s sure to become the talk of the town.

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Shahid Kapoor has once again shown his acting capabilities but not playing but living the live of a 90s Mumbai gangster. The lingo, his accent, his mannerism – Shahid has hit the nail when it come to playing Ustara. He rightly deserves a round of applause and awards for the execution.

For all those who say the Triptii Dimri we fell in love with in Bulbul, Laila Majnu and Qala is lost, Afsha will make sure you fall in love with her all over again. One of the movie’s dailogues – “Vo ladki baarood ka dher hai,” beautifully captures just how talented she is and the determination of her character. From being frail woman in the first half to evolving into a b*tch not to be messed with, Triptii’s acting range and capabilities is clearly visible.

Nana Patekar as Inspector Khan is a menace we would love to have in real life. His chemistry with Shahid Kapoor is one of the film’s many highlights. Avinash Tiwary as Jalal is good, we wish he was more menacing thought. Hussain Dalal as Ustara’s right hand man, Chhotu is the ride-or-die friend everyone of us hope to have in life. He brings freshness to the narrative and manages to shine despite sharing almost every scene with Shahid.

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More On Acting

Tamannaah Bhatia performance as Rabia is more like an extended cameo, but her performance in the limited screentime proves just why she is a pan-India star millions love. Similar to Tamannaah, Vikrant Massey too has a small role, but plays a pivotal part in taking the narrative forward. His performance – event for just a few minutes, is something even many established actors fine difficult to execute.

Disha Patani is more than just the item girl in O’Romeo, however, he role is very limited. Veteran stars like Farida Jalal and Aruna Irani bring their immense experience to the action drama and show just why the audience today also love them.

Conclusion

While Afsha says, “Mohabbat ek baddua hai…jo mujhe bhi lagi hai…or aapko bhi,” I advice you to book you tickets ASAP and watch the film not once but twice this Valentine’s Day weekend – you will not be disappointed. It has the perfect of blend of dance, drama and danger amid tons of bullets, blood and betrayals. This review is 100% honest, we aren’t bluffing, aka, lagaoing shendi

Watch the trailer of O’Romeo here:

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Also Read: Tu Yaa Main REVIEW: Adarsh Gourav, Shanaya Kapoor’s Love ‘Collab’ Turns Bloody Deadly Amid Crocodile And Chaos

Grinell Jacinto

With nearly 10 years of experience, Grinell Esther Jacinto is the Desk Head of Bollywood Bubble. Her interests lie in everything that is kaleshi and she loves to dig deeper into the lives of B-town actors. She has a problem though – she loves horror films but will have chills the minute the theatres lights dims. She’s previously worked with Koimoi, UrbanAsian and SpotboyE.