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O'Romeo

13 February 2026HindiorigEnglishUrdu2h 58m
ActionDramaRomance
out of 10
Mixedlukewarm or divided
Monk Score · 13 scored reviews · 1 not rated

Kapoor and Bhardwaj's vision can't rescue an uneven screenplay.

Verdict tier Mixed, lukewarm or divided, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.

  • Praised: Performances and visual style
  • Criticised: Uneven screenplay and emotional payoff

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Critic consensus

What 14 critics are saying

Critical reception for O'Romeo is mixed-to-moderate, with most reviewers landing in the 50-70 range. Critics most commonly praised Shahid Kapoor's performance, the film's visual style, and Vishal Bhardwaj's operatic ambition in blending gangster and romance genres. However, a clear majority of reviewers flagged an uneven, self-indulgent screenplay and emotional payoff that fails to land, with several noting the film feels tonally inconsistent or split between two competing narratives. A few critics acknowledged Bhardwaj's craft elevates familiar material, but the consensus suggests the film falls short of his celebrated earlier work.

How the 13 scores spread

1 not-rated review isn't plotted

Positive / mixed / negative reviews

Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10

AI-generated summary of 14 critic reviews · may contain errors

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From the papers

Critic reviews (14)

Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated

  1. Top critic

    NDTV

    Film review

    O'Romeo employs and mixes genre principles in ways that elevate even a standard vengeance saga to a level that is well above the ordinary.

  2. Top critic

    Indian Express

    Film review

    The thing with building your scaffold on style and swag is that you end up skating on thin substance, and this reunion of Bharadwaj with Shahid Kapoor...is left swinging between highs and lows. 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.

  3. Filmfare

    Film review

    O'Romeo is a gangster drama and also a love story with credible performances all around. Yet, for all its performances and musical highs, O'Romeo is perhaps Bhardwaj's most self-indulgent work. In an era where filmmakers often sand down edges to appease markets and algorithms, he chooses operatic ambition over caution.

  4. KoiMoi

    Film review

    What ultimately works for O Romeo is the film's refusal to play safe. It succeeds because it treats all the lead characters, including the antagonist Avinash Tiwari, in a very calculated script that builds enough tension. If you expect Haider or Kaminey level Cinema, you might be disappointed, but put away that burden, and this is absolutely good Cinema!

  6. Bollywood Hungama

    Film review ·

    O'ROMEO delivers several well-made moments and strong performances from the lead cast. However, the uneven writing and the ordinary soundtrack prevent it from creating the kind of impact it aims for. At the box office, it is likely to take an average opening, and it will need a solid jump from tomorrow to stay in the race and recover its high costs

  7. Hindustan Times

    Film review

    When an emotional, high-voltage scene on screen makes you titter instead of tearing up, you know something is not right. Somewhere between the filmmaker's intent and the audience's reception, the emotion gets lost in translation. That is the central tragedy of Vishal Bhardwaj's most massy film yet, O'Romeo.

  8. Mid-Day

    Film review

    Shahid-Vishal's fourth collab, fully bloated, isn't quite Kaminey; but, in parts, cult enough! For the most part, O'Romeo feels like two separate films.

  9. Rediff

    Film review

    It's an ordinary plot about a man's obsession, but Vishal Bhardwaj lays it out like a lavish spread, with stylish and very violent action set pieces, effectively used music, and a romance that has moments that are tender as well as bitter. If there is poetry in the emotions, unfortunately, there is also gratuitous violence, that actually takes away from the enjoyment of the action scenes.

  10. TimesNowNews

    Film review

    O Romeo is a poetic bloodbath that showcases the raw chemistry between Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri, though it suffers from a dragged screenplay that undermines its potential.

  11. India Today

    Film review

    In O' Romeo, Vishal Bhardwaj crafts a visually stunning gangster-romance led by Shahid Kapoor. However, despite poetic frames and intense performances, the film struggles with an uneven screenplay and an underwhelming emotional pay-off.

  12. Outlook

    Film review ·

    The difficulty lies in harmonising these twin currents: the fusion of romance and retribution drives the narrative, yet their energies seldom align cohesively in the screenplay. With O Romeo!, he summons the grimy temperament of the latter and the elegiac temperament of the former, fusing them into a spectacle that announces its bravado ardently.

  13. Deccan Herald

    Film review ·

    Vishal Bhardwaj's O Romeo starring Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri receives mixed reviews. Gangster revenge plot fails due to sluggish pacing and weak script.

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