Sutapa Sikdar recalls Irrfan Khan’s bond with ‘O Romeo’, says “Irrfan is sending you best wishes from heaven”

Sutapa Sikdar remembers late husband Irrfan Khan ahead of O Romeo release

• O Romeo releases after years of delays and creative changes
• Shahid Kapoor replaces Irrfan Khan in upcoming film
• Vishal Bhardwaj describes film as deeply personal and emotional

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For Vishal Bhardwaj, O Romeo is not just another Friday release. It is a film that has travelled through time, heartbreak and reinvention before finally reaching the big screen on 13 February.

After years of delays and creative reworking, the crime drama, led by Shahid Kapoor, alongside Triptii Dimri and Nana Patekar has at last found its audience. But even before the first reviews rolled in or the box office numbers began to tell their story, Vishal Bhardwaj chose to pause and speak from the heart.

The emotional weight of the moment deepened when Sutapa Sikdar, wife of the late Irrfan Khan, left a touching message. Revisiting the film’s earliest version, she wrote: “Aapko bahut bahut Mubarak! Bahut Pehle aapne yeh sapna dekha tha tab iss ka naam sapna didi tha . Aapka Sapna Pura hua Aar aap sapne dekhte dekhte Romeo ban gaye !! Aap ko salaam aur Duniya mein Zulm Khatam hone ka Sapna dekhte rehna chahiye ! All the best @vishalrbhardwaj @rekha_bhardwaj @irrfan is sending you best wishes from heaven (Congratulations to you! A long time ago you had dreamt of this film when it was called Sapna Didi. Today that dream came true and turns out, it was because of you Romeo! Hats off to you and the relentless pursuit of dreams to end the violence in the world)!”

The project was once imagined with Irrfan Khan in the lead. That version never materialised, and Irrfan Khan’s passing in 2020 left an irreplaceable void in Indian cinema.

Also Read: O’ Romeo box office collection day 1: Shahid Kapoor’s film opens at Rs 8.25 Cr, emerges as one of his stronger recent starters

Explaining the anger that shaped the film’s tone, Vishal Bhardwaj admitted, “There is so much hatred, violence, and injustice in society - and I often feel powerless against it. It wounds me deeply. This pent-up anguish needed release. In O Romeo, through my protagonist, I slash throats, split skulls, and blow the brains of the monsters I cannot confront in real life.”

He ended with striking honesty: “It is as massy as I can be. It is as artistic as I can be. It is as violent as I can be. It is as poetic as I can be. It is as loving as I can be. It is as vengeful as I can be. This journey has ended on such a beautiful note that these feelings must be shared regardless of the outcome.”