Name: Hey Romeo
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Trupti Dimri, Avinash Tiwari, Nana Patekar
Author: Rohan Narula and Vishal Bhardwaj
Rating: 3/5
plot
The famous phrase, “It’s love you go to war for,” is the central premise of ace filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj’s O Romeo, starring Shahid Kapoor (Ustaara), Trupti Dimri (Afshan Qureshi) and Avinash Tiwari (Jalal) in pivotal roles.
The love story of childhood sweethearts Afshan and Mehboob turns into marriage, but tragedy strikes when Mehboob dies at the hands of gangster Jalal with the help of a corrupt police officer, a lawyer and a local politician. After this, Afshan’s only objective becomes to avenge her husband’s death. She seeks help from the infamous Ustara.
However, what begins as a tale of revenge soon becomes a tale of hearts entangled in unexpected ways. Will Afshan take his revenge? Does the razor really help him? And what happens between Afshan and Ustara is the emotional and dramatic core of O Romeo.
what works
The film is based on a familiar formula, hero, heroine and villain, but with the right intention, casting, screenplay and direction, it manages to win hearts. If you are a lover of Vishal Bhardwaj’s cinematic universe, you will feel absolutely at home.
The dialogue is sharp and memorable. The recreation of old South Bombay brings back memories. The action choreography is entertaining, and the climactic face-off between Ustara and Jalal is particularly noteworthy.
what is not
Some scenes feel unrealistic, and some situations are questionable, aspects that cannot simply be ignored as a cinematic liberty. Given that this is Vishal Bhardwaj’s film, where usually the entire jukebox stays in your mind, only the title track Hum To Tere Hi Liye The and the title track really stay with you. The editing of the film could also have been better.
Watch the trailer of O Romeo here:
– Tripti Dimri feels saved under the direction of Vishal Bhardwaj. After films like Animal and Bad News, the audience finally got to see Trupti who enthralled everyone through subtle and exquisite performances in Kala, Bulbul and Laila Majnu.
– Shahid Kapoor is excellent as Ustara and completely gets into the character, capturing every frame he is in. There are moments when you might feel like you’ve seen him in similar territory before, but perhaps that’s the price of delivering such a powerful performance that you become your own benchmark.
– Nana Patekar as Inspector Ismail Khan plays an extremely layered character, and his friendship with Shahid’s Ustaara is worth watching.
– Avinash Tiwari as the antagonist will make you hate him and that is a compliment. His body language, subtle nuances and voice modulation make Jalal truly dangerous. He is that good.
– Vikrant Massey and Tamannaah Bhatia make the most of their limited screen time.
– Aruna Irani is a joy to watch and despite her minimal screen presence, she is unforgettable.
final call
If you are a fan of complex love stories filled with passion, betrayal and violence, then this production from Vishal Bhardwaj is for you. This Valentine’s, everything is red, not hearts, but blood and gore.
