O Romeo Movie Review: The gangster-romance O’ Romeo, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj (released Feb 13, 2026) has elicited both positive and negative reactions. It has been elicited much acclaim due to the visual style and poetic feel of the film and has been criticized as having an inconsistent screenplay and slow pacing.
The initial one, which is fueled by the blood-thirsty gangster (Ustaraa) of Shahid Kapoor, can be called electrified and magnetic. Nevertheless, the screenplay is regarded as unequal. The storyline dips and dances in between several concepts: love tale, revenge thriller, gangster drama, but it never dedicates itself to any of them, thereby watering down the payoff. The transition of the careless bachelorhood to the profound emotional attachment is sudden and unmerited, which undermines the emotional progression of the film.
Screenplay Issues
The story is also disjointed, particularly when the movie moves into romance. In spite of good supporting cast (Vikrant Massey, Tamannaah Bhatia, Nana Patekar among others), there are numerous characters that are introduced in the film promising a lot and never developed. It features the antagonist, Jamal (portrayed by Avinash Tiwary) who is depicted to be strong, yet he does not leave much impact on screen.
Pacing and Length
Having a lengthy duration of approximately three hours, the film can be said to be overlong. A few music selections, melodious and visually rich, are reportedly disruptive of the storyline. Major scenes like a symbolic bullfight in Spain do not fall with the desired dramatic effect and leave the climax weak.
Visual Excellence
Though there are problems with narration, the cinematography of the film is outstanding. The painterly texture and texture of the frames used by Bhardwaj gives the viewers a sense of elevation in every scene, be it in the rocky docks of Mumbai or the colorful streets of Spain. The movie is full of vivid images and the gloomy light, which can be appreciated as a visual success.
Lead Performance
Shahid Kapoor plays a powerful role of Romeo/Ustaraa. His description is profuse, alternating manic violence and silent pensive. He grounds the movie on a dramatic, bloody entry to emotionally frail scenes. But this can never make up the underwritten emotional change of his character in the second half.
Overall Verdict
O Romeo is a series of movie ups and downs of the story. It glitters with the aesthetics, atmosphere, and devoted performances, but it stumbles with the slow pace of the plot and evenly distributed narration. It is a nice movie in the end that failed to become a strong one.
Industry & Social Media Buzz
The movie has gained a lot of appreciation in the film fraternity. Popular directors and actors went to social media to applaud the acting, visual, and music. The performance of Shahid Kapoor, especially, has been characterized as being spectacular and raw and at the same time, delicate. Tripitaka Dimri was also praised to her level of uncertainty and power as Afsha.
Audience Reactions
Mixed Reactions: The opinions of the viewers on the Internet are divided into great praise and rough criticism. On the one hand, some of them said it was a roller coaster ride and cheered the performances, on the other hand, others believed that it was over-indulgent and dragged during the second half.
Mixed But Engaging: Most of them admitted that the film began strongly and was well executed but they are missing substance in the love story. Nevertheless, the visual flair, action, and music in the film were mentioned as the redeeming factors.
Good Word-of-Mouth: Despite the faults, the movie attracted the attention of a number of moviegoers and the performance of Shahid Kapoor was unforgettable. The fact that his fans and the artistic end of the film would still be able to propel it to good box office numbers.
Final Takeaway
O’ Romeo is a melodramatic, romanticized crime-romance that survives on acting and telling stories through pictures. Though it does not have a compact or heart-warming storyline, it has enough screen appeal to be worth a singular viewing (at least among those who like Shahid Kapoor or the poetically directed Vishal Bhardwaj).