WILL THE COURTROOM DRAMA AND LOVE STORY BRING CHEER AT THE BOX OFFICE?

Last week’s releases, O'Romeo and Tu Yaa Main, have underperformed. As predicted last week, O'Romeo opened at Rs. 7.50 crores. It saw a huge jump on Saturday, when it earned Rs. 11 crores. The Valentine’s Day holiday came to its rescue and also, many preferred to see the film on Saturday than Sunday. The crucial India vs Pakistan T20 match was held on the third day and it impacted collections. Usually, Sunday collections are higher than Saturday. But O'Romeo earned Rs. 8.25 crores on its third day.

From Monday, the makers opted for Buy One Get One (BOGO) Ticket offer. The next day, the discounted Tuesday offer was also implemented. The collections on fourth and fifth day, thus, were Rs. 4.25 crores. The first week collections are expected to be around Rs. 42-43 crores. With barely any competition, the film should aim to at least cross the Rs. 60 crore mark.

Meanwhile, Tu Yaa Main collected just Rs. 50 lakhs, which was way below the expectations of Rs. 1 crore-1.50 crore. Like O'Romeo, this film also jumped on Saturday, collecting Rs. 1.35 crore. On Sunday, the collections slipped to Rs. 75 lakhs. On Monday and Tuesday, Tu Yaa Main earned Rs. 40 lakhs and Rs. 45 lakhs respectively. At this rate, the first week collections are expected to be around Rs. 4.50 crores. Hopefully, the film will remain steady from here on but it won’t help much as the collections are so low. Interestingly, the word of mouth is very positive and yet it hasn’t translated into respectable collections. 

This week will also see the release of two films. Assi sees the return of Taapsee Pannu in a hard-hitting role. It is directed by Anubhav Sinha; both had collaborated earlier in Mulk and Thappad. The trailer of Assi packs a punch and has caught attention due to its content and dialogues.

The makers came up with an interesting strategy for promotion. Last month, it was revealed that a film named Assi is coming; it had no mention of the makers, cast, director etc. The next poster mentioned that the highest paid crew member on the film is the writer! Its trailer was attached with Border 2 and that’s where viewers came to knew what the film is about and who is involved.

However, Assi seems to be disturbing and for a niche audience. Taapsee-Anubhav’s last film, Thappad, opened at Rs. 2.76 crores. It was one of the last films before the pandemic hit and since then, things have changed for such films. The best-case scenario is that the film opens at Rs. 1-1.25 crore.

The other release of the week is Do Deewane Seher Mein. It stars Siddhant Chaturvedi and Mrunal Thakur in leading roles. It is directed by Ravi Udyawar who made Mom and who also directed Siddhant in Yudhra. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is involved with the film as a producer.

The trailer of Do Deewane Seher Mein is sweet and it looks like a clean, non-toxic love story. However, the hype is limited while the songs haven’t worked. Like Assi, Do Deewane Seher Mein will also open in the range of Rs. 1 crore and Rs. 1.25 crore. It remains to be seen which film manages to do better on the first day.

I wouldn’t place him in the same space as Haider and Kabir. Ustraa is a very entertaining character. What’s unique about him is that he is dark yet soft, and can also be very funny. He is a complete laundiyabaaz, yet falls in love to a degree that he loses himself. He’s a gangster but scared of his grandmother, played by Farida Jalal ji.

You want to be thrown into something that challenges you. My scenes with Nana Patekar sir are also special.

The toughest real estate in this film was actually my body! It was covered in tattoos; it would take two and a half hours to put them on before I got on set. Triptii Dimri, my co-star, had a no-makeup look. I told her, “In this film, I am the heroine. Tu toh do minute mein ready ho kar aa jaati hai set pe!”

O'Romeo isn’t like a superhero film where 75% of the work is done by costume and VFX. Then we had action sequences at night. I had undergone major hip surgery during one such sequence. That was very challenging.

First, I need to be happy with what I have done, which is always a challenge. Even above me, it’s the filmmaker. If they are not satisfied, there’s no point to the entire experience. I should be able to add more value than they expected. For me, the filmmaker comes first.

Beyond that, I have a very talented family, whether it’s my mother Neliima Azim, father Pankaj Kapur, brother Ishaan Khatter, or wife Mira Kapoor. They support me unconditionally, and I am always curious to know their views. They’re all very different from each other.

Anybody who says they’re not affected, I don’t know... I wonder if they’re living under a rock. But anybody who says it deeply affects them is putting themselves in a dangerous place.

When you go on social media, you don’t know who is writing, under what name, or under what circumstances. It’s important not to live in a bubble. People around you will praise you. You live a privileged life. But you don’t know what the wider audience feels. It’s a difficult journey. Open up, but be mindful of how much you allow to sit in your system.

Main hamesha yeh kehta hoon – aapke bolne ki aukaat honi chahiye, tabhi mooh kholna chahiye. Yeh maine bachpan mein seekha tha.

In this profession, people can be very dual-faced with stars. Saamne kuchh, peeche kuchh. I don’t like that. I respect people who disagree and have a reason for it. There are rebels without a cause. Then there are those who stand by what they believe. Honesty and authenticity are very important.

The minute their dad stops doing adult films, I guess! When he decides to do frothy stuff. The next one is Cocktail 2. I did Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (2024). What ignites me as an actor are shades that aren’t just white.

O'Romeo begins on a fine note. The intro fight scene sets the mood. The plot is also laid out soon enough. Despite a runtime of 178 minutes, the film doesn't get boring or stretched. The intermission point and a few scenes are very well executed. On the flipside, the love story which is central to the plot, loses steam in the second half. A few developments are very convenient and even silly. Lastly, when it's a Vishal Bhardwaj film, one expects a killer soundtrack. But the music of O'Romeo is hardly memorable. However, like every time, Vishal extracts fine performances from his actors. Shahid Kapoor is terrific as Ustara. Despite his build, he looks like someone who can finish off several goons single-handedly and this is truly a mark of a great actor. His hideout on the ship is quite unique. Triptii Dimri carved a niche with films like Laila Majnu, Bulbbul and Qala. A performance of that stature was missing from her side. But in O'Romeo, she once again delivers a stupendous performance. Avinash Tiwary has limited screen time but makes up for it with his superb act. Nana Patekar is entertaining while Farida Jalal and Hussain Dalal (Chhotu) deliver adorable performances. Vikrant Massey (Mehboob) and Tamannaah Bhatia (Rabiya) do well in cameos. Disha Patani (Julie) and Natasha Bharadwaj (Nargis) add to the glam quotient. Rahul Deshpande is too good as the cop who is also into classical singing. All in all, O'Romeo is a decent entertainer.

My rating - *** out of 5!

WILL O'ROMEO AND TU YAA MAIN MANAGE TO CASH IN ON THE VALENTINE WEEKEND?

The last big film of the season, O'Romeo, will release tomorrow, February 13 and its fate is keenly awaited by the trade and industry. It stars Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri in the leading roles while Avinash Tiwary plays the villain. The other actors in the film are Farida Jalal, Nana Patekar, Tamannaah Bhatia, Disha Patani and Vikrant Massey in a special appearance. It is directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala.

O'Romeo is said to be inspired by the life of Sapna Didi, who fought against the dreaded fugitive gangster, Dawood Ibrahim. The teaser was energetic, while the trailer was intense. The ensemble casting and the association of Vishal Bhardwaj as the director have caught attention.

Sadly, the buzz is limited. None of the songs has worked. Therefore, as it happens now almost every week, viewers have adopted a wait-and-watch strategy. The film is expected to open around Rs. 7-8 crores. Ideally, a big-budget film should open in double digits but possibility of that happening seems remote unless a positive word of mouth spreads quickly. If reports are encouraging, the film will see a jump on Saturday due to Valentine’s Day.

The other release of the week is Tu Yaa Main, starring Adarsh Gourav and Shanaya Kapoor. It is the story of two lovers stuck with a crocodile in a pool. It is directed by Bejoy Nambiar of Shaitaan fame and produced by Aanand L Rai.

The trailer is stylish and the songs are quite funky. Sadly, there’s hardly any hype for the film and this is reflected in the ticket sales. The film will open at Rs. 1-1.50 crores. It needs a strong word of mouth and if that happens, Saturday jump can be huge. This is because the genre is extremely youth friendly, at least in the urban areas.

With the teaser of O’Romeo, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj gave us a peek into his action thriller’s world that is populated by Shahid Kapoor, Triptii Dimri, Tamannaah Bhatia, Avinash Tiwary, Disha Patani, and Nana Patekar. But an actor was missing from the teaser — Randeep Hooda. A bit of digging revealed that though he was supposed to play the antagonist in the February 13 offering, he backed out of the film days before his scheduled shoot.

According to sources, the actor exited the project due to personal reasons. A source from the production told mid-day, “Randeep had begun preliminary prep for the role. Unfortunately, a personal crisis emerged right before he was to shoot his portions. This was around the time of Jaat’s [2025] release last April; he was navigating important developments in his personal life and Lin’s [Laishram, his wife] health. Understandably, giving time to his personal commitments took precedence.”

It’s heard that Bhardwaj and producer Sajid Nadiadwala were supportive of Hooda’s decision to exit the project, and the parting was amicable.

With O’Romeo running on a tight schedule, the makers moved swiftly to cast another actor. They zeroed in on Tiwary, marking the actor’s first collaboration with Bhardwaj.

The source added, “The production couldn’t afford a major delay. Avinash fit the brief, and was available to step into the role at a short notice.”