Recently, director of 'O'Romeo', Vishal Bhardwaj opened up about the legal notice sent by Hussain Ustara's family and revealed the reason behind not taking any permission.
Shahid Kapoor's upcoming film, O'Romeo has been generating a lot of buzz on social media, because of its intense and engaging narrative. A few weeks ago, the film made headlines when Hussain Ustara's daughter, Sanober Shaikh raised an objection towards the film. Reportedly, she demanded Rs. 2 crore. Well, now the director of the film, Vishal Bhardwaj opened up about the legal claim and revealed the reason behind not taking family's permission.
Recently, at the trailer launch of O’Romeo, starring Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri, the director of the film, Vishal Bhardwaj addressed the claims of receiving a legal notice by Sanober Shaikh. For the unversed, Sanober had revealed that Shahid’s character looks exactly like her father, Hussain Ustara and the makers did not take any permission for the same. Vishal Bhardwaj revealed that the film is based on a book. He was quoted as saying:
"Actually, as I said, there is a book called Mafia Queens of Mumbai, which has been written by Hussain Zaidi. I took the rights to that story and, based on those rights, made a film on it."
Further, Vishal Bhardwaj stated that since his film is based on a book, he did not find it important to take any permission from the family. He explained that the author of the book might have taken consent. In his words:
"I didn't think about taking permission because the story is taken from there and the characters are based on that. However, there is a lot of fiction in it as well. As for permissions, that is something Hussain Zaidi may have taken or should have taken. I didn't feel that I needed to take any permission, because it is based on a story which is part of a book."
For those who do not know, a few days ago, multiple reports claimed that Hussain Ustara’s daughter, Sanober Shaikh had filed a legal notice against the film. Reportedly, she felt that the character of Shahid Kapoor was based on her late father, Hussain Ustara. Reportedly, she even demanded Rs. 2 crore for making a film without taking permission from the family. Sanober Shaikh had shared:
"This has been done because of the filmmakers' continuous refusal. It is a kind of compensation, because they are continuously harassing us and also disagreeing with our stand. In such a situation, we have no option but to take some legal step. I will take complete legal help. Because they cannot do anything illegal. If they are showing things related to my father, then they should take our permission. What is right and what is wrong - only if we agree should they show it."
O’Romeo is an upcoming action thriller film, starring Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri in lead roles. Reportedly, Shahid Kapoor will be playing the role of ‘Hussain Ustara’ and Triptii will essay the role of ‘Sapna Didi’. Apart from them, the film also stars Nana Patekar, Vikrant Massey, Disha Patani, Avinash Tiwary, Tamannaah Bhatia and Farida Jalal. For the unversed, the trailer of the film was released on January 21, 2026, and the film will hit the theatres on February 13, 2026.
What are your thoughts on Vishal Bhardwaj’s revelations regarding Sanober Shaikh’s legal notice? Let us know.
Next Read: Is O Romeo Based On True Events? All About Hussain Ustara And Sapna Didi's Alliance And Revenge