OTT Review: Operation Romeo

One reason why many critics have not had very glowing things to say about Operation Romeo (although it appears to have garnered a fairly decent traction with audiences) is because it’s a remake — or a retread — of an acclaimed 2019 Malayalam movie titled Ishq Not A Love Story (it’s the typical Marathi-language Sairat vs Hindi-remake Dhadak debate). Fortunately — or unfortunately, as the case might be — I’ve not watched the original, so I am not in a position to compare. But all I can say is that Operation Romeo is one-of-its-kind simply because of its slow-burn timeline and the thrust of the narrative.

Underlying the drama is the wet blanket of moral policing. Even as India — especially urban India — begins to shrug off the baggage of the ‘What will people say?’ acoustics that, for long, has accompanied relationship stories, there are still reports and accounts of its rampant stride in smaller towns. Which is what the Malayalam version looked into. Operation Romeo, however, is set in Mumbai, one of the most ‘liberated’ cities in India — so for it to be in the line of fire needs extra-realistic handling, which the movie does pretty adequately.

Sidhant (Aditya Sharma) and Neha (Vedika Pinto) are a young couple in love. Sidhant lives in the suburbs, far from the heart of the city, while Neha lives closer to ‘downtown’, in a women’s hostel, but she’s from a conservative family based in north India. Immediately it’s made clear both protagonists are not true-blue Mumbaikars, which makes them slightly more apologetic about their relationship status.