‘I can’t even make a ‘H’ of a film like Haider now’: Vishal Bhardwaj says OTT platforms have disturbed earlier balance

Vishal Bhardwaj, celebrated for his Shakespearean trilogy, has consistently created films that have grown in stature over time to become cultural touchstones of contemporary Indian cinema. Maqbool is known for its hard-hitting existential narrative, Omkara for its inventive storytelling, and Haider for its political daring. However, at the trailer launch of his upcoming film O’Romeo, Vishal candidly admitted that in today’s cinematic landscape, he could not make a film like Haider.

When asked how the last decade has dramatically changed the Hindi film industry, especially through the lens of corporate involvement, Bhardwaj responded: “I think it was fine when corporates were there. But now, ever since the OTT platforms came in, even that balance has started to be lost. It’s not that I ever had a problem with corporates, in fact, I made Haider in 2014, but I don’t think I can even make a ‘H’ of a film like Haider in today’s time. I have never had any issues with corporates.”

Shahid Kapoor in a still from Haider

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O’Romeo is a completely new script

Speaking about his latest film O’Romeo, Vishal Bhardwaj revealed that this is a project he had been planning for nearly a decade, but only now has it come to fruition as his vision for the film evolved over the years. “My vision kept changing. As I kept revising the script drafts, I felt they were stale. It felt like this was not for me. But there was always a seed of the love story that kept drawing me back. So, this is not the same script I originally intended to make, it’s a completely new script.”

Originally, the film was to be titled Rani, starring Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan almost a decade ago. However, production delays and, tragically, Irrfan’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent passing halted the project. The film has now been completely reimagined with a new cast including Shahid Kapoor, Triptii Dimri, Nana Patekar, Avinash Tiwary, and Farida Jalal. O’Romeo is slated for release on 13 February 2026.