On the eve of O’Romeo’s release, Vishal Bhardwaj is not speaking as a filmmaker chasing numbers or validation. He is speaking as an artist who has wrestled with his own contradictions. For over three decades, Bhardwaj has built a body of work that moves between poetry and brutality, tenderness and rage. With O’Romeo, he seems to confront those extremes head-on. The film, he suggests, is not just a story but a release. A reckoning with the violence he sees in the world and the love that has kept him anchored within it.
Turning sixty has sharpened that introspection. Looking back at his cinema, he sees patterns he hadn’t fully named before. Revenge. Anguish. Moral conflict. And beneath all of it, a deep, stubborn faith in human connection.
Before critics respond and before the box office has its say, Bhardwaj chose to speak directly to his team and his audience. What follows is not a promotional statement. It is a confession of sorts. A thank you. A reflection. A declaration of pride.
In his own words:
O’ROMEO
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 – their vision, their integrity, their sweat, their blood, and their unconditional commitment to my vision.
My real heroes: Mustafa Stationwala, Faramarz Wankadia, Ben Bernhard, Meghdeep Bose, Aarif Sheikh, Maxima Basu, Dani Del Rosario, Vikram Dahiya, Ankur Chaudhary, Yash Darji, Shantanu Yennemadi, Krutika Jain, Mukesh Chhabra, Makarand Surte, Justin Jose, Samir Zaidi, Konstantin Minnich, Saurabh Goswami and ‘Anl’ Arasu. Also, my most loving associate, Abhay Datt Sharma – who shared my love, pain, frustration, and both my reasonable and unreasonable whims – and my creative producer, Priti Shahani. I will not make another film without her.
Through this film, I have realized 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.
Opposite this violence stands an equally intense force — 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 specie called human — forever torn between two extreme emotions.
O’Romeo is the manifestation of these polarities.
It is as massy as I can be.
It is as artistic as I can be.
It is as violent as I can be.
It is as poetic as I can be.
It is as loving as I can be.
It is as vengeful as I can be.
This journey has ended on such a beautiful note that these feelings must be shared — regardless of the outcome.
As Dr, Basheer Badr says:
Subah hui, aankhein kholein, kapde badlein, pheete baandhein..
Uss sheher ke baare mein sochein, jo sheher ab aane waala hai..
सुबह हुई आँखें खोलें कपडे बदले फीते बांधे
उस शहर के बारे में सोचें जो शहर अब आने वाला है
With this powerful and deeply personal note, Vishal Bhardwaj has further heightened curiosity around O’Romeo, setting the stage for audiences to witness his vision on the big screen tomorrow.
Sajid Nadiadwala presents O’Romeo, a film by Vishal Bhardwaj, produced under the banner of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. The film releases theatrically on 13th February 2026.