Hussain 'Ustara' Shaikh: The underworld figure at the centre of the 'O Romeo' controversy

Vishal Bharadwaj’s upcoming gangster drama O Romeo has landed in legal trouble after the daughter of the late Mumbai gangster Hussain ‘Ustara’ Shaikh accused the makers of using her father’s life and likeness

without consent.

The controversy began after Sanober Shaikh, Hussain Ustara’s daughter, issued a legal notice to the film’s team through her lawyer, DV Saroj. The notice has been sent to director Vishal Bhardwaj, screenwriter Rohan Narula, producer Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Sanober has alleged that O Romeo is projected as being inspired by true events and draws substantially from her father’s life without the family’s approval. She has also reportedly sought ₹2 crore in compensation.

The makers of O Romeo have maintained that the film is a work of fiction inspired by real events and is not intended as a biographical portrayal. Even so, the legal action has placed the film under scrutiny ahead of its scheduled theatrical release on February 13.

Hussain Ustara is a name that once carried weight across Mumbai’s underworld. Born as Hussain Shaikh, Ustara grew up in Mumbai’s tougher neighbourhoods, where crime was often closely tied to survival. His entry into the underworld was gradual. He reportedly began with street fights and protection rackets before establishing himself as a contract killer. Over time, he developed a reputation that made him both feared and recognisable in criminal circles.

As per writer and former journalist S Hussain Zaidi, the nickname, Ustara, emerged from a particularly brutal incident. During a violent altercation, Hussain reportedly used a sharp blade, commonly referred to as an ustara or scalpel, to inflict a long, precise incision on his opponent. The injury was reportedly so clean and deep that doctors were astonished and unsure how to proceed with treatment.

By the 1980s and early 1990s, organised crime in Mumbai was increasingly shaped by Dawood Ibrahim's growing dominance. Very few figures resisted his authority. Hussain Ustara was among those who did. Operating independently, he reportedly refused to submit to Dawood’s control, leading to a rivalry rooted in power struggles and conflicting interests. This defiance made him a formidable presence in the underworld.

Ustara's story is also closely linked to Sapna Didi, born Ashraf Khan. She was not initially associated with the criminal world, but her life changed after her husband, Mehmood Khan, was killed by Dawood Ibrahim’s gang. Driven by grief and anger, she sought revenge and entered the underworld.

Hussain Ustara reportedly played a key role in this phase of her life, training her in motorbike riding, physical combat, and the use of weapons. Together, they planned an attempt to assassinate Dawood Ibrahim during a cricket match in Sharjah. The plan failed, and the aftermath was violent. Sapna Didi was killed in 1994.

Much of what is known about Hussain Ustara comes from crime reporting and literature, most notably Zaidi’s Dongri to Dubai, which documents the power structures, rivalries, and personalities that defined Mumbai’s organised crime landscape. Hussain Ustara reportedly died in 1998.

In O Romeo, Shahid Kapoor plays a hitman named Ustara in post-Independence Mumbai. The character falls in love with Afsha, portrayed by Triptii Dimri, and becomes entangled in a world of love, betrayal, and revenge. The film also stars Avinash Tiwary, Nana Patekar, Farida Jalal, Vikrant Massey, Tamannaah Bhatia, and Disha Patani, and marks Kapoor’s fourth collaboration with Vishal Bhardwaj.

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