Vishal Bhardwaj says he is deeply proud of ‘O Romeo’

Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj says he deeply proud of his new film “O Romeo’, which made him realise the immense capacity he holds for both “love and violence”.

In an emotional note on Instagram on Thursday, the director before the film’s release, he wanted to thank “the real heroes” of the movie before the film received any kind of verdict.

“Before the critics speak and before the box office delivers its verdict, I feel compelled to share how deeply proud I am of this film. Before the accolades or the criticism arrive, I must thank, from the deepest part of my being, all my HODs who gave far more than was ever asked of them…” Bhardwaj wrote in his note.

Known for hits such as “Maqbool”, “Omkara”, “Haider” and “Kaminey”, Bhardwaj said looking back at his career in cinema, he found a recurring theme of revenge.

“Through this film, I have realised the immense capacity I hold for love and for violence – together. Looking back at my body of work, l see a recurring theme I wasn’t even conscious of: revenge. And at sixty, I am only now beginning to understand it. “There is so much hatred, violence, and injustice in society — and I often feel powerless against it. It wounds me deeply. This pent-up anguish needed release. In ‘O’Romeo’, through my protagonist, I slash throats, split skulls, and blow the brains of the monsters I cannot confront in real life,” he added.

The director said opposite this violence stands an equally intense force which is love.

“A love born from a lifetime of encounters with beautiful, sensitive souls who have shaped me. A love that did not let me drown. A love that pulled me out of the pool of blood. I am in love with this species called humans — forever torn between two extreme emotions. ‘O’Romeo’ is the manifestation of these polarities,” he added.

“O’ Romeo”, which released in theatres on Friday, is inspired by a chapter of author Hussain Zaidi’s book “Mafia Queens of Mumbai” and tells the gripping tale of gangster Hussain Ustara, played by Shahid Kapoor.

The movie’s star-studded cast also includes Triptii Dimri, Nana Patekar, and Disha Patani, with Vikrant Massey making a special appearance.

Bhardwaj said the film is as massy, artistic, violent, poetic, loving and vengeful as he could be.

“This journey has ended on such a beautiful note that these feelings must be shared — regardless of the outcome,” said the filmmaker, who is often credited as one of the most original cinematic voices in Hindi cinema for his Indian adaptations of Shakespeare’s tragedies “Macbeth”, “Othello” and “Hamlet”, as well as films such as “Makdee”, “The Blue Umbrella”, “Saat Khoon Maaf” and “Khufiya”.

He ended the note with a couplet from Basheer Badr, which roughly translates as: “Morning has arrived, open your eyes, wear your clothes and shoes and start thinking about the city that is to come next”.

“O’Romeo” is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala’s under the banner of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment.