O Romeo trailer: Farida Jalal on using cuss word in film; where she drew the line

The trailer of Vishal Bhardwaj's O Romeo, starring Shahid Kapoor, Triptii Dimri, Nana Patekar, Tamannaah Bhatia, Avinash Tiwary, Vikrant Massey, Disha Patani, and Farida Jalal, stormed the internet for the use of cuss words, mainly by Shahid Kapoor and Farida Jalal.

While Shahid Kapoor using abusive language is not new, given his earlier films, it was veteran actress Farida Jalal mouthing a beep-worthy word that left fans shocked and sent social media into a frenzy.

With the teaser receiving rave reviews, O Romeo has undoubtedly emerged as one of the most anticipated films of the year.

For those who haven't seen it yet, the teaser features Farida Jalal delivering a cuss word in a dialogue. As soon as the clip surfaced online, it went viral across social media platforms. The actress was later asked in an interview whether she was comfortable using such language on screen.

In an interview with Zoom, the veteran actress spoke candidly about her inhibitions and explained why she agreed to say the word. She revealed that working with Vishal Bhardwaj had long been on her wish list.

"Vishal Bhardwaj was on my list of favourite directors. I had already ticked off one box after working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. When Vishal came home and sat across from me, I told him that I had ticked off one more director from my wish list," she said.

Farida recalled Bhardwaj's reaction, saying, "He told me, 'Farida ji, sabse pehle ek baat poochni thi.' I said, 'Haan, poochiye.' He asked, 'Aap gaali dengi na?'" ( Will you abuse?)

She continued, "Can you imagine? I didn't know what to say. I was so overwhelmed that he was there and I was going to work with him. Nahin rehne dijiye, chhod dijiye – aise toh main bolne wali nahin thi. This man, with whom I always wanted to work, sat across me. All I said is nangi nangi, gandi gandi gaaliyan main nahin dungi. Chhoti wali, mamuli-si ho toh de sakti hu. Mere hisaab se zyada nangi, gandi nahi thi. Ma-behen toh nahin bolungi. He started laughing and understood where I came from," Jalal added.

("Can you imagine? I didn't know what to say. I was so overwhelmed that I was finally going to work with him. I told him I wouldn't say very vulgar or filthy abuses. Chhoti wali, maamuli si ho toh de sakti hoon. According to me, it wasn't too obscene. I wouldn't say 'maa-behen' gaalis. He started laughing and understood where I was coming from.")

Reacting to the backlash online, Farida Jalal said, "I have said this only once in the film and look at the uproar. People are saying, 'Farida Jalal ne yeh bola? Hamari pyari dadi/maa ne yeh bola?' Audiences have seen me since childhood, and I have stayed away from such dialogues. But it's okay. The character speaks that way—she's always in a temper. If you say yes to a role, you have to go all the way."

However, Farida Jalal's cussing did not go down well with many netizens, who expressed shock and disappointment, saying it had ruined their childhood memories.

In the teaser, her character says, "Rise in love, and you're a Romeo. Drown in it, and you're a c**tiya."

One user wrote, "Bollywood has ruined my childhood memories! Even the sweetest Farida Jalal is abusing now."

Another commented, "Vishal Bhardwaj made Farida Jalal swear on camera. Is this the end of Bollywood?"

"Now even respected artistes like Farida Jalal are made to mouth cheap tapori gaalis," read another post.

Another user added, "Making legendary actress Farida Jalal say the c-word is pretty low."

The one-minute-and-13-second-long teaser also offers a glimpse into Shahid Kapoor's character is of a fearless, eccentric man who lives on a boat and takes down enemies with effortless swag. For the role, Shahid has tattooed his entire body and, unsurprisingly, uses strong language, something audiences have seen from him before.

Vishal Bhardwaj and Shahid Kapoor have previously collaborated on Kaminey (2009), Haider (2014) and Rangoon (2017). O Romeo marks Triptii Dimri's first collaboration with both the director and the actor.

The film is set to hit theatres on February 13.