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Vishal Bhardwaj Defends Explicit On-Screen Violence as Poetic and Culturally Rooted

The O' Romeo director says stylised depictions are acceptable when they mirror societal realities and are shaped with clear aesthetic intent.

Overview

  • In a new ANI interview, Bhardwaj said the rise in explicit violence is acceptable to him if it serves an aesthetic purpose.
  • He invoked the Mahabharata to argue that violence is embedded in cultural narratives, calling it an element in 'our DNA.'
  • He framed the idea of 'poetic violence' by citing stylised examples from Wong Kar-wai and Quentin Tarantino.
  • Discussing O' Romeo, he described it as an adult gangster drama where violence is intrinsic to the characters' world, starring Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri and released during Valentine's Week.
  • The remarks are presented within a broader industry shift toward more graphic content in mainstream films such as Animal, Marco and Dhurandhar.