O Romeo: Vishal Bhardwaj reveals why film got delayed by 10 years - Challenges, creative differences & more

O Romeo, Vishal Bhardwaj and Shahid Kapoor's latest collaboration, took over a decade before it could finally materialise.

At the trailer launch, the filmmaker shared why:

‘Main possessive tha iss kahani ko lekar’

Vishal Bhardwaj shared that after acquiring the rights to O Romeo’s story, he did not attempt to make the film for three to four years.

“Bahut se directors mere paas aaye aur bole, ‘Aap bana nahi rahe ho, toh humein de dijiye.’ Main itna possessive tha iss kahani ko lekar ki maine kisi ko nahi di. Isiliye yeh journey aisi rahi,” he said.

When production began, the protagonist had changed from the original plan, and over time, the story felt stale to him.

Bhardwaj's budget also exceeded his capacity as a director, but with Sajid Nadiadwala’s conviction and resources, enabling them to create a film of greater scale.

“Mujhe lagta hai jis budget mein yeh film bani hai, woh meri haisiyat se zyada hai. Mere paas utna paisa nahi tha,” he said.

“Yeh Sajid bhai ka conviction tha mujh par aur is project par. Unke bina yeh possible nahi tha. Budget badhta chala gaya, par woh maine nahi badhaya — Sajid bhai ne badhaya. Humne 1 rupaye mein 5 rupaye ki film banane ki koshish ki hai,” he added.

Creative bond outweighs past disagreements

Responding to speculation about tensions during Rangoon, Bhardwaj acknowledged occasional creative arguments with Shahid Kapoor but said such reports were exaggerated.

We have had many fights, Bhardwaj said, “those fights are known to the media more, but there aren't that many fights between us.” “We've formed a bond between us like Laxmikant-Pyarelal, like Kalyanji-Anandji,” he added.

He praised Kapoor’s ability to work with his challenging temperament and navigate it with maturity: “Shahid understands my passive-aggression and that I'm a very difficult man to work with.”

“Shahid should get a National Award for doing four films with me. We complement each other,” he added.

Legal challenge over real-life inspiration

The film faced legal notice from Hussain Ustara’s daughter, who alleged an inaccurate depiction of her father and sought ₹2 crore in damages.

Bhardwaj said O Romeo is based on Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens of Mumbai, for which he secured rights. “This film is from the book, Mafia Queens of Mumbai, by Hussain Zaidi, and I’ve taken the rights of this story. I didn’t think (of the permission).”

"The germ of the idea and the characters are the same, but we’ve added a lot of fictional elements, which permission Hussain Zaidi sahab has taken or should’ve taken. I don’t think it was needed for me to take permission because it is based on a book,” he added.

Shahid Kapoor’s gritty anti-hero turn

In O Romeo, Shahid Kapoor plays Romeo Ustara, a gangster shaped by love and violence, marking a departure from his earlier romantic roles.

Kapoor admitted he was initially intimidated by the role, saying, “He has worked with the best actors in the country. So when I got the opportunity to work with him, I actually asked him first, ‘Sir, why are you taking me in this role? I have not done anything to deserve this.’”

About O Romeo

O Romeo reunites Vishal Bhardwaj and Shahid Kapoor after over eight years. The film features an ensemble cast including Triptii Dimri, Nana Patekar, Avinash Tiwary, Disha Patani, Aruna Irani, Vikrant Massey, Farida Jalal and Tamannaah Bhatia and is scheduled to release on 13 February 2026.