Vishal Bhardwaj responds to Hussain Ustara’s daughter's allegations regarding Shahid Kapoor starrer O'Romeo: 'I do not think I need to take permission..'

The trailer launch of the much anticipated 'O’Romeo' took place in Mumbai today in a grand event and post that, it was launched by the makers on social media. The film starring Shahid Kapoor, Triptii Dimri, Nana Patekar and others is directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and has been in the news as fans loved the teaser and a song, but post that, reports suggested that Hussain Ustara's daughter Sanobar Sheikh had sent a legal notice to the makers. She allegedly objected to the incorrect depiction of her father in the film. She also sought compensation of Rs 2 crore.

Now at the trailer launch event, Vishal Bhardwaj has responded to the allegations made by her. Bhardwaj clarified that he did not seek personal permission from Hussain Ustara’s family, as the project is adapted from a published work. Explaining his stance, the director said the film draws its source material from Mafia Queens of Mumbai, authored by Hussain Zaidi. “There is a book named Mafia Queens of Mumbai, which is written by Hussain Zaidi. I took the rights of that story and made a film. Of course, characters are from the book but there are certain fictional aspects as well. I am sure Hussain sahab must have taken all permissions. Therefore, I do not think I also needed to take permissions. My film is based on a story which is a part of a book,” Bhardwaj stated.




The controversy surfaced earlier this month after Bollywood Hungama reported that Sanober Sheikh had sent a legal notice to the makers. Sanober later spoke about the issue in an exclusive interaction with CNN-News18, reiterating her objections to the portrayal. “O Romeo is based on baba. The teaser states that the film is based on a true story. I want to ask them, who’s the person the film is based on. My father wasn’t a gangster. Hussain Ustara helped a lot of people. He wanted to cleanse the city and remove gangsters. He wasn’t a criminal. You won’t find any criminal record. The problem is how is image is portrayed in the film,” she said.

O’Romeo eunites Bhardwaj with Shahid Kapoor after more than eight years, following their earlier collaborations on Kaminey (2009), Haider (2014), and Rangoon (2017). Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”