Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj and actor Shahid Kapoor’s O Romeo may have opened to mixed reviews and is yet to cross the ₹100 crore mark worldwide, but actor Hussain Dalal isn’t viewing the numbers with disappointment. The actor, who plays Chotu in the film, has expressed contentment with its box office journey so far, stressing that the film deserves to be judged on its own merit rather than being stacked against recent big-ticket hits.
On box office performance
Also starring Triptii Dimri, Nana Patekar, Avinash Tiwary, Tamannaah Bhatia, Disha Patani, Farida Jalal and Vikrant Massey, the film was released in theatres on February 13 ahead of the Valentine’s Day weekend. The film tells the story of a gangster, Ustara, played by Shahid, who helps Triptii’s Afsha Qureshi, alias Rani Sharma, in taking revenge. It is based on the book Mafia Queens of Mumbai by Hussain Zaidi.
For Hussain, the focus should lie on the film’s craft and narrative, which he believes should be appreciated independently of commercial comparisons.
“The film is fairly accepted. We survived our Monday test. We try to compare every new film with the last all-time blockbuster that was released, which is such a strange yardstick,” Hussain tells us.
He continues, “At the same time, I believe that all genres in society should exist, not just one. Vishal Bhardwaj is the master of poetic tragedy. Sanjay Leela Bhansali does poetic tragedy through a magnum opus filter, nobody does poetic tragedy through a real filter like Vishal… The original voices should be looked at with a slightly more respectful filter than just comparing it with other films, or seeing how much it did on a Friday or Monday.”
After working for over 15 years in the film industry as a writer and actor, Hussain feels one has to look at the film for its quality and not the quality.
“Vishal chases quality… I’m very happy that people are watching the film. We did decent numbers. I am actually getting messages from people every day, which I normally don’t get,” says the actor, who is credited for working on projects such as Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Brahmastra: Part One, Farzi, and Devaa.
He asserts, “Kuch filmein craft ke liye bhi hoti hain, kuch quality ke liye bhi hoti hai (Some films are for its craft and quality). I am actually very happy about the film and the way it’s turned out.”
No comparison with Dhurandhar, Animal
During the conversation, Hussain pointed out that it would be unfair to expect the film to match the kind of box office numbers delivered by films such as Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar, Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, or Sunny Deol’s Border 2.
“Logun ne khoon chak liya hai ek crazy number ka on an angry film. Aur logun ko lag raha tha ke yeh bhi kuch angry hi hai. But yeh angry nahi hai. Yeh kahani wali film hai. Ismein woh ladki 4 logun ka murder karna chahti hai. Ismein ek bada plot hai (People have gotten used to crazy box office numbers for an angry film. And they assumed this one would be similar. But it isn’t that kind of film. It’s a story-driven film. In it, the girl wants to murder four people, and there’s a much bigger plot at play),” says Hussain, who is seen in the role of Shahid’s loyal friend Chotu.
He adds, “Ismein ek aadmi aaa (shout gesture) bolke mar nahi raha hai logun ko… yeh alag hai. Mujhe sari movies pasand hain… Isse Dhurandhar ka expectation rakhna ya isse Animal ya Border 2 ki expectation rakhna galat hai. Yeh genre hi alag hai.”
It translates to, “In this film, there isn’t a man just shouting and killing people… it’s different. I like all kinds of films, but expecting it to perform like Dhurandhar, Animal, or Border 2 is not right. The genre itself is completely different.”
Hussain wrapped by saying, “Agar hum comparisons se nikal kar dekhein toh yeh film complete success hai (If we don’t compare it with others then I think the film is a success).”
O’Romeo is written and directed by Vishal Bharadwaj and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment.
