Movies of War

In his new directorial outing, acclaimed Indian music composer and film director Vishal Bhardwaj has created an imperfect, inconsistent, over-plotted, yet wildly entertaining film that somehow, due to its various elements thrown in, justifies its three-hour runtime. That, and also the fact that while Vishal Bhardwaj is in pulpy caper film mode — think “Kaminey” (2009), “Saat Khoon Maaf” (2011), or even the rural caper “Patakha” (2018) — the madness ensues wholeheartedly. Bhardwaj is not afraid to push the boundaries of a scene and its possibilities, even if it borders on the absurd. “O, Romeo“ begins with the so-called Romeo (Shahid Kapoor) going about business as usual — slashing, stabbing, and cutting his way through his contracted targets to earn himself a rustic but rather luxurious sea-facing lifestyle, loyal subordinates, and the means to frequent nautch girls and sex workers (often they come over to his place, sometimes more than one at a time). This earns him the moniker “Ustraa” (Hindi for straight razor), and sure enough, his backstory also has a barbershop connection. Yet there is the desire in him to leave it all and flee on a cargo ship to Fiji, as he is often forced to do the bidding of gangsters and cops working outside the law, including Khan (Nana Patekar). Things change, and the main plot is set in motion by the arrival of a strange new client (Tripti Dimri), asking him to commit murder on her behalf. As the plot unfolds, the film adopts all the major conventions of the romantic crime film, with some good old Indian song-and-dance sequences, which, as seen before in films like “Omkara” (2006), Bhardwaj stages and executes with flourish and aplomb. As for the plot devices, you have gangsters loosely based on real-life counterparts, their lavish lifestyles, and their love interests. The antagonist loves bullfighting arenas, oddly even participating in the rather perilous sport. One would think crime bosses have better instincts of self-preservation. Sometimes the rehashing of old conventions works, and sometimes it doesn’t. The trope of a woman convincing her husband to leave the life of crime, which in turn results in his demise, has really been done to death, and it feels all the weaker because it is supposed to be the emotional anchor of a bloody, bloated, and elaborate revenge story. Even though actress Tripti Dimri plays her character and its emotional journey to its full potential, it feels tame in the larger scheme of things. It is also the most significant problem of the film — the stylistic elements, the performances, the pacing, the swagger, the direction — all belong to a very high standard, and yet what the story needed was not style, but substance. There is indeed genuine potential here. Both actors playing the main leads, Shahid Kapoor and Tripti Dimri, seem to have genuine romantic chemistry in the quieter moments. There is one when our hitman protagonist listens to her sing for the first time, and another scene which happens in the immediate aftermath of a major chaotic battle, as both characters survive, but at the cost of many of their allies. There is guilt, pain, longing, and exhaustion — all of those emotions in that exchange between the two leads. Unfortunately, due to the over-plotted nature of the storyline, these quieter moments are too few and far between. For the justification of so many killings, revenge, and such strong, passionate motivations and character journeys, the central love story needed to hold more weight. Apart from being overplotted, the screenplay also feels the need to rely on random plot twists to keep the viewer engaged, even though the performances and character development would have done so with more credibility. Characters randomly abandon each other and are almost gravely injured, only to return before the climax. However, one particular plot twist involving the antagonist’s wife is unexpected and adds depth to the character of Ustraa. What keeps things going is the director’s appetite for inspired lunacy. In one scene, our lovelorn protagonist meets a sex worker. When he asks his subordinates who ordered her, they reply, hesitantly, “Your grandmother.”The same grandmother seems not to mind having to live under the same roof as her womanizing grandson. When Ustraa is at it during the night, she simply uses earplugs while asleep. There is also a very amusing scene involving Ustraa and his subordinates right after Uttara breaks down uncontrollably. What also makes Vishal Bhardwaj’s films a deep and resonant experience is the use of music. Just like his earlier films, it is evident in “O, Romeo“ as well. It is a gangster drama with lots of bloodshed, yet it seems to have a musical quality to it. One of the corrupt police officers, an important character in this story, is a great singer as well and is played by a real-life Indian classical musician. Most characters tend to sing and hum throughout the film. Also, 90s Bollywood music is used cleverly throughout the story. Bhardwaj’s soundtrack, song sequences and montages add depth to a situation even when the writing falls short. It is clearly Bhardwaj’s world of murderous maniacs and musical maestros, and many characters do both effortlessly, as the filmmaker seems to revel in this world. What also makes the movie very watchable is the fact that the technical aspects of filmmaking are on point. The production design feels so natural that the Mumbai of the 1990s does not feel artificial or laden with any sort of false affectation. The world almost feels lived in — be it Ustraa’s abode, the chawls, the Irani cafés, or the Ganpati festival. There is even a shootout in a local train compartment, and not merely for the sake of it — the layout and logistics of the Mumbai local play an important part in the proceedings. The cinematography (Ben Bernhard) also keeps up ably with the director’s vision, his eye for detail and, more importantly, his eye for beauty. It inhabits the spaces almost instantly and gives color and texture to each space. The editing (Aarif Sheikh) also helps immerse the viewer in a rather disjointed plot with backstories and flashbacks. The action sequences are slick, as one would expect them to be, and in a few scenes, cross-cutting between different points of action also works cohesively. Overall, “O, Romeo“ has plenty of craft, beauty, and earnestness in performance and filmmaking. With a little more heart and depth, it would have been near perfect, but it is still, in many ways, a dazzling watch. Tags:Aarif SheikhBen BernhardNana PatekarO RomeoShahid KapoorTripti DimriVishal Bhardwaj