The development of the OTT market is unquestionably the best development for Indian cinema in recent years. A movie like Operation Romeo could not have been approved in any other way. It seems like a straightforward plot: an injustice occurs, and the protagonist seeks retribution. However, it succeeds in evolving into a wonderful reflection on toxic masculinity and what it means for a woman to understand her value. To further comprehend the subtleties it reveals, let’s look at what the movie is about.
Spoilers upcoming
Do Adi And Neha Escape The Cops?
Aditya wishes Neha a happy birthday and they both decide to go on a date as the opening act of Operation Romeo. As most Asian women are aware, Neha comes from a fairly traditional home and is very careful to keep the specifics of her college experience secret from her parents. The following day, they both leave on their date and have a good time. Adi comes out as being somewhat possessive. His expression changes, for instance, when Neha makes a joke about how a male classmate bought her some flowers for her birthday. Or, when a different guy is eyeing Neha up in a café, Adi firmly commands him not to. When some of the boys in his building are getting ready to fight someone, Adi tells them to throw a few punches for him as well. This is another subtle example of this. In a sense, it is understandable that he is a normal Indian male with preconceived notions of what it means to be a man and a “protector.”
On the date, as Adi and Neha get more at ease with one another, Adi requests a kiss. But a man knocking on their car door interrupts their moment. He introduces himself as Mangesh Yadav, the local sub-inspector, and claims that Adi and Neha are being investigated for public indecency. Both of them, especially Neha, are terrified. She can’t afford for this information to reach her home because doing so would put her in hot water with her parents. Adi begs the police to let them go, but they won’t budge. Mangesh grants them numerous requests after demanding a specific sum of money. Aditya consents and makes a run for an ATM. He seems to be rather taken with Neha, too, and he keeps talking to her inappropriately. This presents another issue. Although Adi makes every effort to keep her safe, there is only so much he can do.
He arrives at the ATM and discovers that it is not operating. The police decide to continue driving till they find another ATM as he dashes back to the car. However, Mangesh never stops glancing at Neha, which makes the couple feel quite awkward. The police are taking advantage of the fear that is present. Adi finally decides to stop playing cat and mouse and report the situation to the police. However, Neha’s fear of her parents learning about it prevents it from working out. When the group of three does locate an ATM, Adi rushes to use it but discovers that Mangesh has locked the vehicle while he and Neha were inside. She is sobbing when he returns, having run back. Although the circumstances are unclear, it is evident that Mangesh treated her improperly.
In each case, he takes Adi’s money and orders them to leave. Free of the police, the couple returns to their home. Adi questioned Neha about what transpired in the car when they arrived. He claims that as a man, he must understand. Neha responds, “Man,” with an obvious question mark in her phrase. She might be implying that Adi failed to protect her because she is a woman, or she might be making fun of the absurdity of the issue since she is the one who is being hurt. Adi, however, has taken it to mean that she is doubting his masculinity, and he is unable to accept that. This introduces us to the movie’s following section.
Operation Romeo Ending Explained Does Adi Find Out What Happened To Neha?
Adi is seen to be reflecting on what happened that evening, particularly because he believes that his manhood has been called into question. He then embarks on a path of retaliation. When he locates Mangesh, he discovers that he was never even a police officer. He had only exploited the circumstance—he was an ambulance driver. He discovers his address and visits him when Mangesh isn’t at home. Chhaya, his wife, is with their daughter at home. Adi convinces Chhaya that he is coming to meet with Mangesh to discuss a contract, and she lets him stay in the home until he gets there. However, while inside, he makes it a point to annoy Chhaya as much as he can. Whether it was him sketching Mangesh as a dog, him sneaking into their kitchen to sample the food without Chhaya’s consent, or even just hiding her phone. Knowing something is off, Chhaya requests that he go. Fortunately, Mangesh shows up at that time. At that point, Adi flips the script. By quoting some of the offensive things Mangesh said to Neha, he gives him a taste of his own medicine. Chhaya begins to wonder if the two guys had any prior interactions.
Following the altercation, Adi hurts Mangesh. Adi signals to his daughter’s neck with a shattered piece of glass when some of his pals yell for him outside his house and want him to remain quiet. Mangesh isn’t at home, so the pals chat about how he is a complete womaniser and how he exploited a couple just last week. Chhaya hears all that is said. She now questions Mangesh over what he did to Neha. He is forced to admit that he had approached her for a kiss after finding himself alone with her. But when he insisted, she had objected and smacked him. Adi went back to the car at that point. These were the precise happenings that evening. Finally, Adi admits the truth to Chhaya and offers her an apology. He also cautions Mangesh not to repeat such actions since there is someone out there who is more manly than he is.
He meets Neha the following day. She questions him about why he hasn’t returned her calls all week. Neha questions him about if it would have mattered if something had actually happened to her that night after he tells her what he did. Adi pauses for a moment before changing the subject by pulling out a ring. He admits to lugging this around with him since since Neha’s birthday. She extends her middle finger to him just as he is about to place it on her finger. All it took was one courageous act to overthrow millennia of patriarchy, to borrow a line from one of our favourite monologues from another beloved series. And there was the most lovely conclusion, which had us praising Neha and the plot. In the space of a single gesture, our perception of the true hero was completely altered. A lovely conclusion to a well-written tale.
Final Thoughts- What Works For Operation Romeo ?
In all honesty, the entire movie never has a dull moment. When Mangesh is blackmailing the couple, we can feel their fear. We also supported Adi when he was seeking retribution, despite the fact that we were irritated by this example of toxic masculinity. Oh my God, the performers’ talent! Sharad Kelkar and Bhumika Chawla are capable of owning any part. But Siddhant Gupta completely embodied the role of Adi, portraying him as everything from a bashful, amorous boy to a brooding man seeking retribution. He also committed a very unsettling act in Mangesh’s home. He must appear more frequently.
As far as the writing is concerned, it wonderfully captured the tempo of the couple’s uneasy courtship, from their later horror to Adi’s getting stirred up enough to set out to show himself a man. The film depicted his deeds as they were rather than glorifying them. And they accomplished this by figuratively giving the middle finger, as most women have always wanted to do in response to such gestures. The film acknowledged that Adi’s actions are not romantic; rather, they are the result of insecurity and outmoded ideas about what it means for one gender to be the protector. Our hearts were captured by the execution’s utmost finesse. In conclusion, Operation Romeo was a pleasure to see, and we hope to see more of this kind of media in the future. Additionally, Siddhant Gupta, Bhumika Chawla, and Sharad Kelkar need to act in more productions. I hope these two things happen.
Shashant Shah is the director of the 2022 Indian Drama Thriller movie Operation Romeo.
