O Romeo Faces Legal Hurdle as Gangster's Daughter Sues Makers
Vishal Bhardwaj's upcoming crime thriller O Romeo has encountered fresh legal trouble. The film, starring Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri, now faces a lawsuit from the daughter of real-life gangster Hussain Ustra. She claims the movie portrays her father without authorization and demands Rs 2 crore in compensation from the makers.
The lawsuit targets both Bhardwaj and producer Sajid Nadiadwala's Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. This legal challenge adds to the film's already complicated production history.
Film's Inspiration and Plot Details
O Romeo draws inspiration from a chapter in Hussain S Zaidi's 2011 book Mafia Queens of Mumbai. This same novel provided the source material for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2022 hit Gangubai Kathiawadi starring Alia Bhatt. Interestingly, Vishal Bhardwaj himself wrote the foreword for Zaidi's book.
The film explores the complex dynamics between three notorious Mumbai gangsters from the 1990s:
- Hussain Ustra (played by Shahid Kapoor)
- Sapna Didi (portrayed by Triptii Dimri)
- Dawood Ibrahim (played by Nana Patekar)
The story follows Sapna Didi's quest for revenge against Dawood Ibrahim after her husband Mehmood Kaliya (Vikrant Massey) dies in a police encounter. She teams up with her husband Hussain Ustra, a former Dawood ally turned police informer. Together they plan Dawood's assassination during a cricket match in Sharjah, but Dawood outsmarts them and has Sapna Didi brutally murdered first.
Original Casting with Irrfan Khan and Deepika Padukone
Years before the film became O Romeo, it had a completely different cast and creative team. Back in 2017, the project featured:
- Late actor Irrfan Khan as Hussain Ustra
- Deepika Padukone as Sapna Didi
- Casting director Honey Trehan as director
The film was originally titled Rani and scheduled to begin shooting in January 2018 for an October 2 release that same year. However, multiple setbacks prevented this from happening.
Multiple Setbacks Derailed Original Production
The film faced several significant challenges that caused years of delays:
First, Deepika Padukone's commitments to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat created scheduling conflicts. That film faced severe opposition from Shri Rajput Karni Sena, including incidents where sets were burned, causing production delays that affected Rani.
Second, creative differences emerged between director Honey Trehan and his mentor Vishal Bhardwaj. After Bhardwaj's ambitious film Rangoon (starring Shahid Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, and Kangana Ranaut) underperformed in 2017, he took over the project when Trehan's subsequent films didn't materialize. Trehan eventually left the project and made his directorial debut with Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai in 2020.
Third, Irrfan Khan's health crisis created another major obstacle. The actor was diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Tumour, a rare cancer, and had to immediately stop filming to seek treatment in London. He spent nearly two years there before returning to India in 2020, passing away just days later in April.
Additional production problems included the arrest of producer Prernaa Arora of KriArj Entertainment and the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
Revival with New Cast and Title
The project finally regained momentum a couple of years ago when Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment came on board as producer. With Irrfan Khan no longer available and Deepika Padukone occupied with other projects and her pregnancy, the lead roles were recast:
- Shahid Kapoor replaced Irrfan Khan as Hussain Ustra
- Triptii Dimri took over from Deepika Padukone as Sapna Didi
The film also experienced a last-minute casting change when Randeep Hooda opted out of playing Dawood Ibrahim just days before shooting began. Veteran actor Nana Patekar stepped into the role instead.
The supporting cast includes Avinash Tiwary, Disha Patani, and Farida Jalal in significant roles.
To avoid potential legal issues with Hussain Ustra's family, who had been threatening author Hussain Zaidi since his book's publication, the filmmakers made several changes:
- Character names were altered
- The title changed from Arjun Ustra to O Romeo
- The original title Rani was completely abandoned
Current Status and Release Plans
Despite these precautions, the new lawsuit from Ustra's daughter demonstrates that legal troubles continue to plague the production. The film remains scheduled for theatrical release on February 13, though this latest development could potentially affect those plans.
O Romeo represents Vishal Bhardwaj's return to the gangster genre that made him famous with films like Maqbool (2003) and Kaminey (2009). The project's journey from its original conception with Irrfan Khan and Deepika Padukone to its current form with Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri has been marked by creative changes, personal tragedies, and now legal challenges.
