New Delhi: The controversy around the upcoming film O Romeo has now taken a serious legal turn after the release of its trailer.
What started as objections
over how a character was shown has now reached the Mumbai Police, leading to a formal complaint and a legal defamation notice.
O Romeo defamation
Sanobar Sheikh, the daughter of the late Hussain Ustara, has filed a complaint with the Mumbai Police alleging that the film wrongly portrays her father and damages his reputation. She claims that O Romeo is based on a story featured in a book written by author Hussain Zaidi, which she says draws from her father’s life. According to her, the film falsely presents itself as being inspired by “true events” without proper consent from the family.
In her complaint, Sheikh has stated that the trailer contains scenes and dialogues that are factually incorrect and defamatory. She has described her father as a law-abiding, hardworking man who enjoyed a respectable position in society. She alleges that the film portrays him offensively and misleadingly, which she says harms his legacy.
Her lawyer, D.V. Saroj, has submitted the complaint at Mumbai’s J.J. Marg Police Station. He has requested the police to register an FIR against the film’s producer Sajid Nadiadwala, director Vishal Bhardwaj, and screenwriter Rohan Narula. The complaint refers to multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, including Sections 316, 317, 318, and 356.
The complaint also points out that certain language and scenes shown in the trailer are objectionable and indecent. It claims that these portrayals have caused emotional distress and social embarrassment to Hussain Ustara’s family.
Apart from the police complaint, Sheikh has also sent a legal defamation notice to the filmmakers. In the notice, she has demanded an immediate stop to the film’s promotion, release, and broadcast. She has also sought ₹5 crore as compensation, claiming the family has faced public ridicule and social isolation because of the trailer.
During the trailer launch, the film’s director stated that the story rights were taken from author Hussain Zaidi and suggested that permissions may have been handled by him. However, Sheikh has denied this claim, saying that neither she nor any family member was consulted or paid when the book was written.
The Mumbai Police are currently examining the complaint. Meanwhile, the controversy around O’ Romeo continues to grow, raising questions about the film’s future amid increasing legal pressure.
