Highlights:
- O’Romeo is inspired by real events from Mafia Queens of Mumbai
- Sapna Didi sought revenge for her husband’s murder
- Hussain Ustara trained her in weapons and combat
- Their alliance broke after a moment of betrayal
- Both died before achieving their goal
Vishal Bhardwaj’s upcoming film O’Romeo, starring Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri, is inspired by a dark and dramatic real-life story from Mumbai’s underworld. The film is based on events described in Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens of Mumbai, which also inspired Gangubai Kathiawadi. The story centers on Hussain Ustara and Sapna Didi, two individuals driven by a shared goal: to kill gangster Dawood Ibrahim.
The story begins in 1986, when Sapna Didi was still known as Ashraf. Her husband, Mehmood, was killed in a shootout at an airport. Ashraf was told that Dawood Ibrahim was behind the killing. Fueled by grief and anger, she became determined to take revenge. She learned that Hussain Ustara also wanted Dawood dead, and she approached him to learn how to kill a man.
Hussain Ustara agreed to help her. He trained Ashraf in using guns and later enrolled her in martial arts classes so she could defend herself. She visited his home regularly for lessons and proved to be a fast learner. At one point, she even considered traveling to Dubai to kill Dawood herself, but Ustara warned her that it would be far more dangerous than she imagined.
Over time, Ustara developed feelings for her, though he hid the truth about his own life. He later revealed that he worked as a police informer. Using his criminal connections, he gathered information about Dawood’s businesses and passed it on to the police, sometimes earning money in return.
As Ashraf became more involved in the underworld, she decided to change her identity. She believed that using a Hindu-sounding name would help her gain trust among local gangsters. She renamed herself Sapna, saying it was her “dream” to kill Dawood. From then on, she became known as Sapna Didi.
Sapna began building her own network of informers and focused on damaging Dawood’s businesses rather than attacking him directly. She collected information on illegal dance bars and gambling dens and tipped off the crime branch whenever she found links to Dawood.
During this time, Sapna survived two attacks and grew more independent. She and Ustara later traveled to Nepal, where Dawood’s operations allegedly used routes for arms and fake currency. Their bond deepened, and they admitted they cared for each other.
However, their partnership ended in 1991 after a traumatic incident. Sapna, frightened and vulnerable after being chased by goons, sought refuge at Ustara’s home. After initially comforting her, he touched her without consent. When she confronted him, he blamed her and insulted her. Sapna slapped him, walked away, and cut all ties.
Sapna never achieved her goal. In 1994, after planning an attack on Dawood during a cricket match in Sharjah, she was killed by his men. Hussain Ustara died a few years later, in 1998. Their story remains a haunting tale of revenge, power, and broken trust, now brought to the screen in O’Romeo.
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