O' Romeo

Trust me, it's frustrating because there are moments of genuine brilliance scattered throughout, but they get lost in a messy screenplay that can't decide what it wants to be. Let me start with what works. The film takes about 4-5 minutes to set up its world - the gritty 90s Mumbai underworld - and then boom, we get this absolutely killer action sequence with Shahid. Picture this: Dhak Dhak playing in a theatre within the film, and Shahid is just dancing and smiling while taking people down. It's stylish, it's wild, and they even have this modern rendition of Dhak Dhak with catchy beats. This opening set piece alone had me thinking, "Okay, this is going to be fun!" And honestly, the fun moments are what carry this film through its weak screenplay. Every scene with Shahid and Nana Patekar together is gold - their chemistry is fantastic. Add to that the interactions between Shahid, his gang, his dadi, and the supporting cast, and you've got some genuinely entertaining moments in both halves. These are easily the best parts of the film, and they're sprinkled throughout, giving you hope that maybe things will click into place. But here's the problem - the film has serious pacing issues. The story takes way too long to set itself up. There are so many irrelevant scenes that feel like they add nothing. The film will be flowing nicely, and then suddenly a song gets dropped in the middle of the screenplay, completely breaking the momentum. Or they'll keep dropping hints about the love story between Ustara and Afsha without actually developing it properly. The screenplay just doesn't know how to move forward efficiently. This brings me to what I call "the hope betrayal." You know those moments in a film where you think, "Okay, now it's going to get really good"? The pre-interval sequence does exactly that - Avinash Tiwary's Jalal is introduced, and you're pumped for what's coming. But the second half doesn't build on that promise at all. Instead of focusing on the dynamic between the three main characters - Ustara, Afsha, and Jalal - the film goes back to establishing the love story, which should have been properly set up in the first half. It does get better when Afsha takes her revenge, but even then, the second half only works in parts. Some audiences might enjoy the twists, but for me, it felt uneven. Now, here's the bigger issue that even director Vishal Bhardwaj talked about - this film explores the polarities between extreme violence and love. The idea is that Ustara channels societal rage but gets saved by love. Sounds interesting, right? The problem is, Ustara's transformation from a womanizer to a self-sacrificing lover completely lacks believability. The foundation is shaky. The film tries to be massy, artistic, violent, and poetic all at once, but it just struggles with this blend. You can feel the ambition, but the execution doesn't land. And then there's Spain. In the second half, the film moves to Spain, and it feels like the makers thought "bigger is better." But is it? Absolutely not. I was loving the film when it was set in gritty 90s Mumbai, but these Spain scenes just don't work. It's like they only went there for the cowboy aesthetics and music. The bullfight sequence especially feels disconnected from everything the film built up earlier. It's visually grand but emotionally hollow. Shahid Kapoor is wild in the action scenes, stylish, and always fun to watch - especially when he dances. You'll walk out with another great Shahid Kapoor performance in an otherwise weak film. Honestly, he was the best part about O Romeo, and I feel really bad for him. Kab tak hum kehte rahenge ki bohot accha actor hai, bas filmein bohot badiya honi chahiye? He gives more than 100 percent in every single film, and he deserves so much better than this. Tripti Dimri is really good here, especially compared to her recent films. That first flashback scene with her? She nailed it. Vikrant Massey is barely in the film - he's just there for the flashback scenes. Same with Tamannaah; she's barely around. Disha Patani is literally just in one and a half songs. Nana Patekar was fun to watch, and Farida Jalal supports the film well. The biggest surprise for me was Rahul Deshpande. I loved how they used his singing talent in his acting - it's something everyone will notice and appreciate. But then there's Avinash Tiwary as Jalal. His performance gives you a hint of menacing, but his menacing nature is never fully shown. It could have been really unhinged and terrifying, but for the most part, his performance doesn't feel convincing. The threats don't land with the weight they should, especially with that heavy tone he uses. And when you watch the whole film, you realise he's barely even there, which is such a waste of potential. O Romeo has a decent first half that's good in parts and has its moments, followed by a second half that also has moments but really doesn't fare well overall. That's why this film turns out to be such a disappointing watch. I genuinely wanted to like it - there's talent here, there's ambition, and there are flashes of brilliance - but it just doesn't come together in a way that satisfies you as an audience. If you're a Shahid Kapoor fan, you'll appreciate his performance, but the film itself doesn't do justice to the potential it had.