Avinash Tiwary on Laila Majnu’s Cult Return & Playing the Ultimate Villain in O'Romeo | Ep 23 From the heartbreak of Laila Majnu to the gritty madness of Vishal Bhardwaj’s O’Romeo, Avinash Tiwary has seen it all. In Episode 23 of Bombay Film Story, he sits down with Mayank Shekhar to map out his incredible journey. Avinash reveals the "Kashmir Café" story—the grassroots movement that turned a 2018 box-office struggle into a 2024/25 cult phenomenon. He also gives us a masterclass on playing a villain, explaining how his character Jalal in O’Romeo draws inspiration from legendary icons like Mogambo and Langda Tyagi. 

Vishal Bhardwaj Birthday: Vishal Bhardwaj is an Indian filmmaker, music composer, and playback singer. He received wider recognition with his compositions in Gulzar's "Maachis." He went on to compose music for the films "Satya" and "Godmother." For the latter, he won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction. Bhardwaj made his directorial debut with the children's film "Makdee," for which he also composed the music. He garnered widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades for writing and directing the Indian adaptations of three tragedies by William Shakespeare: "Maqbool" from "Macbeth," "Omkara" from "Othello," and "Haider" from "Hamlet." On his birthday, we look back at his "Sit With Hitlist" interview, where he talked about how he became a musician and gained confidence in his talent when he received validation from Usha Khanna.