Mumbai: A recent conversation between noted crime author S Hussain Zaidi and former Mumbai police encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma brought fresh focus on the violent life of Hussain Ustara, the real-life
figure who inspired filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj’s upcoming movie O Romeo.
Zaidi, whose book Mafia Queens of Mumbai forms the basis of the film, spoke about how Hussain Sheikh earned the nickname ‘Ustara’, meaning razor. According to Sharma, Ustara was not a conventional criminal but an extremely aggressive individual whose brutality set him apart during Mumbai’s gang wars of the 1980s and 1990s.
His fearsome reputation began in his teenage years, when he attacked a man with a barber’s razor, inflicting a deep cut from shoulder to waist. The precision of the wound reportedly stunned doctors and became a signature of Ustara’s violent methods in the underworld.
An 'Asset' To The Police Department
Despite his criminal background, Sharma said Ustara also served as a key informant for the Mumbai Police. He described him as an important asset who provided crucial intelligence in several cases, largely driven by a desire for revenge against Dawood Ibrahim’s gang, which had killed some of his close associates.
Sharma recalled that Ustara was never calm while sharing information and often spoke in an aggressive tone, reflecting his volatile nature even when cooperating with law enforcement.
Who Killed Hussain Ustara?
The discussion also revisited Ustara’s killing in 1998. Sharma said the murder was planned by Dawood’s close aides, Chhota Shakeel and Sharad Shetty. The attackers allegedly laid a trap and ambushed Ustara at his first-floor residence, bringing an end to the life of one of the few men who openly challenged D-Company’s influence on Mumbai’s docks.
Vishal Bhardwaj’s O Romeo, starring Shahid Kapoor as Hussain Ustara and Triptii Dimri as Sapna Didi, is slated for release on February 13, 2026.
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