Vishal Bhardwaj reacts to Shahid Kapoor's O'Romeo's lukewarm box office performance: 'Good films are getting beaten in the process'

Vishal Bhardwaj-directed O'Romeo, starring Shahid Kapoor, has done a lukewarm box office performance. In a new interview, the filmmaker reacted to the same.

Vishal Bhardwaj and Shahid Kapoor

O'Romeo, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, is a gritty 1980s Mumbai underworld tale that has generated immense buzz, marking a major, long-awaited collaboration between Vishal and Shahid Kapoor. However, the film has done a lukewarm box office performance. Up to Day 26, O'Romeo had total gross collections of Rs. 83.71 crore, as per Sacnilk. In a new interview, Vishal reacted to the box office performance.

What did Vishal Bardwaj say about O'Romeo's box office performance?

Speaking to PTI, Vishal Bhardwaj highlighted the changing dynamics of the industry, saying quality scripts often struggle to find the right space between cinemas and OTT platforms.

“Now there is a straight demarcation: ‘This is the subject; take it to OTT,’ and OTT people say, ‘No, we don’t want it; release it in theatres first, then we will take it here.’ Good films are getting beaten in the process,” he said.

He also noted that the global film industry is going through a challenging time, and filmmakers need to adapt their vision to the theatrical narrative without losing their artistic identity. He said, “We are in a very strange and difficult phase of filmmaking. I think it’s global."

Also Read: O'Romeo review: Shahid Kapoor cuts through the clutter of Vishal Bhardwaj's over-indulgent, bloody opera

About O'Romeo

O’Romeo is a Hindi-language action thriller directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and starring Shahid Kapoor as Hussein Ustara, a quiet yet feared gangster who wields a barber’s razor. Inspired by S. Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens of Mumbai, the film depicts a dark love story between Ustara and Afsha (Triptii Dimri), who goes to him for help in avenging her husband's murder in the Mumbai underworld.

The story centres on the unstable bond between a contract killer and a woman driven by a desire for revenge. Set against the gritty backdrop of Mumbai's criminal underworld, the film explores themes of passion, pain and betrayal, blending revenge and romance.

Meanwhile, after its theatrical run, O'Romeo will be released on Prime Video.

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