Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj is back with a movie after a long gap. Starring Shahid Kapoor, Triptii Dimri, and Avinash Tiwary in the lead, O’Romeo promises an intense love conflict. When the film’s poster was released, fans assumed that O’Romeo was yet another Vishal Bhardwaj adaptation of a Shakespearean tragedy. After all, Maqbool, Omkara, and Haider set the director’s niche. But the film’s trailer only added to the mystery. O’Romeo isn’t a love tragedy, it’s a romantic action thriller that is based on a real story. Here’s what the movie is about.

O’Romeo: The real story behind the film

The trailer of O’Romeo revealed that the movie is inspired by true events. As reported by The Indian Express, O’Romeo is a film adaptation of Jane Borges and S. Hussain Zaidi’s book, Mafia Queens of Mumbai. The book documents the lives of 13 powerful women in Mumbai’s underworld, including Gangubai Kothewali, Jenabai Daruwali, and Ashraf Khan. The same book previously inspired Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi. Now, Vishal Bhardwaj has legally acquired the rights to bring Ashraf Khan aka Sapna Didi’s story to the screen.

The story of Sapna Didi and Hussain Ustara

O’Romeo stars Triptii Dimri as Afsha, a character inspired by Sapna Didi. The film’s trailer portrays her as a quiet menace. The book says Sapna believed Dawood Ibrahim, an infamous gangster, orchestrated her husband’s murder. Soon, Sapna’s grief and inner rage begin to turn into a burning need for revenge. What follows isn’t an impulsive descent into crime. It is a calculated decision to enter a shady world dominated by men so she can seek vengeance.

To fulfil her mission, she seeks the help of gangster Hussain Ustara (Shahid Kapoor), who has his own reasons for wanting to kill Dawood. Sapna and Hussain’s alliance is born out of shared hatred rather than trust.

O’Romeo: The stellar cast

Through his direction and writing, Vishal weaves romance, ambition, and violence into stories, creating intense thrillers. Adding to the tension in O’Romeo is Avinash Tiwary’s character, Jalal, a lethal antagonist against Hussain in the film, as reported by Mid-Day. His fierce look in the trailer hints at a clash that’s bound to raise the stakes. O’Romeo also has a noteworthy ensemble cast in supporting roles. The film stars Nana Patekar as Ismail Khan, Disha Patani as Julie, Farida Jalal as Dadi, Vikrant Massey as Mehboob, and Tamannaah Bhatia as Rabia. The trailer offers brief glimpses of their roles and the commanding screen presence of the supporting actors, especially Farida Jalal and Nana Patekar. O’Romeo is a moody, layered film in which passion collides with power, making it one of Vishal Bhardwaj’s most intriguing projects yet.

O’Romeo is set to release in theatres on February 13, 2026. Watch the trailer here.

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