wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do (?)
Constantly tries too hard to be cool, clever, and pulpy making the 3-hour run tiresome.
Click here for full reviewThen, the story takes over. This is usually a good thing.
We get it. They are ruthless—antagonist, protagonist and everyone in between. But the onslaught knows no end. That too, when they are taking the shortcut. Most of the fights don't show the mechanics, the process of the kill. You see only the end result.
No, I am not asking for more goriness, I am just saying, "So much gore, so little effect." You see one throat slit after an eye is poked into after a knee is shot on. Or many. But you don't see too much of the run-up. I am grateful for the reduction in dread, but it also reduces the impact. Despite that, individually, the fight sequences are cool to watch, even if there is rarely anything unique. As a whole though, it doesn't work. There are way too many styles sewn together. And that goes beyond the fights and violence. The background music is thoroughly enjoyable all through the film. But does one piece blend with the other, other than overlapping riffs? Jarringly not.
This isn't surprising. After all, the aim isn't to explore characters or build them. It is to show off. Show all the brutality that was imagined. Show all the cool kind of music that was thought of. That we come to know the two dimensions that the characters have is a by-product. This becomes even more stark when the animosity amongst various characters is told to you and not shown. It is unconvincing given how powerful and intense the individual characters are meant to be. Similarly, the love-hate relationship between Shahid Kapoor and Nana Patekar is feels shallow too.
In fact, almost all characters seem to be cut out of the same wood, just given different motives. They are all quirky with supposedly powerful emotions. Shahid Kapoor carries it forward from Kabir Singh. Nana Patekar and Avinash Tiwary's passion is perfunctory too. Too much shoo-shaa, very little depth.
Same goes for the other parts of the writing too. The dialogue for instance shuttles between over-written and lame. The focus is so hard on being quirky and pulpy and cool that it ends up becoming the opposite—whether it is the twins who speak together or the scores of minions having the same body-type. The latter so much so that it looks almost AI generated like one of the fight sequences in the beginning.
I wish Bharadwaj didn't feel the need to become a Tarantino and/or Wachowski. I understand tipping hats to influences, but I wish there were some ingenuity beyond the couple of standout sequences—the Bombay local one and the one of a series of throat-slits.
"So much gore, so little effect."
There are these sparks in the second half. Else, the little spunk from the first half—like reading out headlines to humour the audience and set the timeline—disappears post-interval.
Then, the story takes over. This is usually a good thing. But here it is episodic, jerky, and worst-of-all cheap. So, you enjoyed making Farida Jalal swear on screen? slow clap You throw in an appeasing India-Pakistan angle? even slower clap Is unacceptable to show national integration without a throwaway, "We don't like ISI either!" It is absolutely mind-boggling then that you still feel scared for Afsha (Triptii Dimri). I think it has a lot to do with her performance. She is equally believable as a timid but strong village girl as she is as a ferocious lady scorned. While we are at things to appreciate, I quite enjoyed the substitute for the end credit item number. Thank you.
Unfortunately, there is very little else that demands compliments or one can be grateful about.
- meeta, a part of the audience
Thumbs up, by Devesh Sharma, Filmfare : ...n the end, the film is held together by its performances. The actors commit with such conviction that they make even the wildest flourishes feel momentarily plausible. You may roll your eyes at the excess, but you will not be bored. Like any good opera, it demands surrender. And if you give in, it rewards you with spectacle, passion and performances that linger long after the curtain falls. The ending hints at a sequel, so expect more of the same.... full review
Thumbs up, by Aakash Kumar, Filmi Beat : ...Overall, O Romeo is a strictly decent one-time watch. Though it was promoted as Vishal Bharadwaj's most massy film, it turned out to be another trademark Vishal Bharadwaj story with a touch of violence and gore.... full review
Thumbs up, by Lachmi Deb Roy, FirstPost : ...A big shout-out to Vishal Bharadwaj for giving such a solid film with quirky dialogues, brilliant music, and engaging performances by each of the actors. A salute to the captain of the ship of O’ Romeo! Vishal Bhardwaj directorial O’ Romeo is a love story to remember.... full review
Thumbs up, by Ria Sharma, Free Press Journal : ...Shahid delivers a powerful performance, balancing intensity with emotions. He makes Ustara both intimidating and heartbreakingly human. This is one of his best performances so far. Triptii shines as Afsha, bringing grace and quiet strength to her role. Their chemistry works well. Supporting actors, including Nana Patekar, are impressive and add gravitas to the story. Avinash Tiwary as the villain Jalal is decent, though his character could have been more menacing. No supporting actor feels out of place.... full review
Thumbs up, by Trisha Gaur, koimoi : ...The music is absolute class. We have to discuss that in detail but in short it is uff at some points and good for the rest of the part!... full review
Thumbs up, by Mayank shekhar, MiD DAY : ...O’Romeo is, by no means, the exception. O’yeah, give it a go.... full review
Thumbs up, by Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV : ...It is unsurprisingly A-rated, but we have seen worse. The violence in O'Romeo, graphic as it is, is never sans a moral context. Killing isn't easy, Ustara says to Afshan. When you kill, you cross a line, and a human becomes a monster, he adds. The screenplay is aware of that truth and never strays from it.... full review
Thumbs up, by KASHVI RAJ SINGH, News18.com : ...While the Shahid Kapoor-Vishal Bhardwaj combination is widely praised and their films usually become critical successes, they gain mass popularity much later. It is time that we give this combination the box office respect it deserves. If nothing else, Ben Bernhard’s delicious frames must be appreciated.... full review
Thumbs up, by madhuri Adnal, One india : ...O Romeo is a dark, performance-driven romantic thriller that finds its rhythm after the interval. Shahid Kapoor delivers one of his stronger recent turns, and Vishal Bhardwaj crafts a film that balances violence with emotional complexity.... full review
Thumbs up, by Gayatri Nirmal, Pinkvilla : ...If you are a sucker for complex love stories layered with passion, betrayal and violence, this Vishal Bhardwaj rendition is for you. This Valentine’s, it’s all red, not hearts, but blood and gore.... full review
Thumbs up, by Deepa Gahlot, Rediff : ...Shahid Kapoor is styled like a cowboy and combines a swaggering body language with intensity and sometimes an almost child-like obstinacy. Having worked with the director in the past, there is that collaborative trust that results in a character, who is not likeable, but still demands sympathy.... full review
Thumbs up, by dhaval Roy, Times of India : ...Despite frequent pacing issues that demand patience, O’Romeo is worth watching for its performances, atmosphere, and cinematic brilliance.... full review
So-So, by Nitin Jain, Glamsham.com : ...It is a film that holds attention in parts, impresses with craft, and delivers committed performances, yet stops short of being truly gripping.... full review
So-So, by Rishabh Suri, Hindustan Times : ...Overall, O’Romeo has moments that remind you why Bhardwaj remains one of our most distinctive filmmakers, but they are scattered across a narrative that loses emotional clarity along the way. Despite Shahid’s wild energy and a few stylish flourishes, the film struggles to find its emotional core. It is watchable, even fun in parts, but rarely affecting in the way Bhardwaj’s best work is. You walk out entertained in flashes... and strangely unmoved.... full review
So-So, by Sana Farzeen, india today : ...At nearly three hours, the film feels long. It unfolds like a novel that does not know when to end. While that literary quality might be intentional, cinema demands tighter storytelling. The songs, though melodious, add to the indulgence. There are simply too many of them, and not all push the story forward.... full review
So-So, by Anindita Mukhopadhyay, India TV : ...O Romeo has the mood, the performances, and flashes of the poetic storytelling you expect from Vishal Bhardwaj. Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri hold your attention, and the music lingers. But the film doesn’t quite come together.... full review
So-So, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...Yes, it’s more sure-footed than Bharadwaj’s recent slate — Kuttey, Fursat, Charlie Chopra — but I want the Bharadwaj who gave us the marvellous Maqbool and the kinetic Kaminey, back.... full review
So-So, by Sakshi Salil Chavan, Outlook India : ...The final act regains urgency and culminates in a rousing yet foreseeable crescendo. With a more disciplined edit though, ‘O’ Romeo’ might have achieved the narrative stature its ambition seeks. Should word of mouth favour it, Bhardwaj’s devoted audience will undoubtedly gather.... full review
So-So, by Shubhangi Shah, The Week : ...‘O’Romeo’ boasts a formidable supporting cast, Nana Patekar, Farida Jalal, Tamanaah Bhatia and Aruna Irani, yet most are reduced to fleeting appearances. Only Patekar truly registers, keeping you on edge even as he cracks you up in moments of humour.... full review
So-So, by Tanmayi Savadi, Times Now : ...O’ Romeo isn’t a bad film nor a masterpiece. It has a lot of loose ends and unexplained connections. Due to this, it becomes difficult to join dots and feel characters and their purposes. With excellent performances, and Vishal’s ability to tell a fairly engaging story for 3 hours, O’ Romeo can be watched with loved ones and parents, only if violence, abuses and bloodshed are palatable.... full review
Thumbs down, by Subhash K Jha, Bolly Spice : ...O’Romeo brings out the beast in everyone. By the time Nana Patekar (yes, he is in it too) ends up on a hospital bed, mumbling Dhak dhak karne laga, the screenplay lies writhing, smashed against the nearest wall. My question to the makers of this monstrously inflated mishmash is, why waste so much resources in glorifying a gangster?... full review
Thumbs down, by Sameer Ahire, Movie Talkies : ...As a whole, O Romeo is a senseless saga that consumes nearly three hours of your life, offering very little in return—except regret for the time spent watching it.... full review
Thumbs down, by Nandini Ramnath, Scroll.in : ...The movie’s most original idea is that music is balm as well as salvation. Having led viewers over extremely well-trodden territory, Bhardwaj designs a coda that achieves a semblance of delicacy in a decidedly indelicate tale of bloody slaughter.... full review
Thumbs down, by Anuj Kumar, The Hindu : ...as ‘O Romeo doesn’t deliver the emotional or narrative punch its setup promises.... full review
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