In his groundbreaking role in ‘O’Romeo,’ Shahid Kapoor dives deep into the gritty world of ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai.’ He passionately advocates for portraying multifaceted characters, revealing the complexities of their choices without sugarcoating their flaws. Kapoor asserts that the essence of art lies in truthfulness, not merely in winning audience approval.

Shahid Kapoor‘s ‘O’Romeo’ has arrived in cinemas today. The film is based on Hussain Zaidi’s novel ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai’ and stars the actor in the role of Ustara. Ahead of the release, the actor talked about why he loves playing gray characters. Let’s take a look at what Shahid Kapoor has to say on it.

Shahid Kapoor playing violent characters who cross moral lines

In an interview with Mid-Day, Shahid Kapoor was asked if he worried about the audience response since he has played violent characters in multiple movies like ‘Kabir Singh‘, ‘Haider’, ‘Deva’, and more. To which the actor said, “If you start worrying about being liked, you will begin adjusting things.”The actor smiled and quickly added, “Once you commit to the character, that stops mattering.” Shahid shared that his character, Ustara, has been written a certain way, and his job was to serve that honestly. He said, “I hope people see the honesty with which he has been played.”

Shahid Kapoor on graphic violence shown in the film

During the interaction, Shahid Kapoor shared that the violence in the film has not been added for the sake of it, but it is justified. He said, “The physical aspect is demanding.” He further emphasized, adding, “The bigger challenge is understanding the character’s emotional journey that leads him to those moments.” The actor concluded, saying, “You try to approach that with sensitivity and responsibility.”

Shahid Kapoor on collaborating with Vishal Bhardwaj for the fourth time

In the same interaction, Shahid Kapoor opened up about collaborating with Vishal Bhardwaj for playing gray roles. He said, “Our sensibilities and the way we look at characters [are similar].”The actor added that working with the filmmaker four times is “like returning to a space that pushes you to think differently every time.” He added that both of them have evolved, and it reflects on how they approach a character. He said, “I’ve always gravitated towards the gray, and with ‘O’Romeo’, I didn’t feel the need to soften anything.”

More about ‘O’Romeo’

Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the film features Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri in the lead roles. Apart from them, it also stars Nana Patekar, Avinash Tiwary, Vikrant Massey, Tamannaah Bhatia, Disha Patani, and Farida Jalal. The movie has arrived in cinemas today, February 13, 2026.