Omid Romal’s Gadens Melodi: A Gritty Glimpse into Gang Life and Redemption
Director and family man Omid Romal, once a troubled youth himself, reflects on his past as he prepares for the release of his latest film, Gadens Melodi. The film’s production didn’t go unnoticed by the authorities, who mistook the crew’s activities for actual criminal behavior. “We were threatened by the police several times. Guns were drawn on us because they didn’t realize we were filming,” Romal recalls. “I even ran into officers I knew from my past, and they harassed us.”
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Get Started NowDespite having all the necessary permits for the shoot, the police still intervened. While filming at a café, three officers from the licensing division arrived on the scene. “We told them we were in the middle of filming, but they wouldn’t listen,” says Romal.
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Gadens Melodi, set to hit Danish cinemas in the spring, tells the story of a young man who, with a sick mother and little hope, is manipulated into a gang environment by older, wealthier figures. As revenge and attempted murder take over, the protagonist finds himself trapped in a cycle of violence he can’t escape. Romal’s connection to this narrative runs deep, as he’s known friends in similar situations and experienced firsthand how difficult it is to break free from that life.
During filming, Romal had another run-in with law enforcement. “We had just wrapped up a scene when the police showed up again, responding to worried calls about gunfire in the streets. The first patrol left after confirming everything was fine, but then a second team arrived—this time with officers I knew from my past,” he explains.
“They forced me to the ground, shoved me into a car, and started searching me. I told them to call their dispatch, but they told me to shut up. My pregnant wife started crying, and I tried to explain: ‘We’re filming. You can check your reports—it’s noted that a film crew is working here.’ But they didn’t care.”
This clash with his past is a theme at the heart of Gadens Melodi. “No matter how much you try to escape it, your past always catches up with you,” Romal says. “I want to show through the film how these young people are manipulated into gang life by older leaders, who send them to fight battles that aren’t even their own.”
The film takes a raw, realistic, almost documentary-like approach, capturing gritty details of life in the streets, from stolen mopeds to violent crimes and attempts to cover up the evidence.
Growing Up in the Ghetto
Romal’s personal history is as compelling as the stories he tells on screen. Born in India to Afghan parents, he spent time in Iran before arriving in Denmark with his mother in 1999. They lived in poverty, first in Sjællands Odde and later in a ghetto on Amager, where Romal shared a tiny two-room apartment with his mother and three siblings.
“It was a tough childhood. I was kicked out of several schools, bullied for my appearance, and I wasn’t doing well academically,” Romal recalls. “I had a beauty mark with hair on it, I was extremely thin, and my confidence was low. Every time I got bullied, I’d lash out, and I’d be the one getting into trouble. Looking back, now that I’m older and wiser, I should have handled things differently.”
Bullet Holes and Gang Ties
Despite his struggles in school, Romal found work, eventually owning restaurants and working as a caregiver and salesman. But the small apartment pushed him onto the streets, where he fell in with the wrong crowd. “Living in a ghetto, being poor, doing poorly in school—it all leads to hanging out with friends in the same situation, and you end up doing the wrong things.”
He admits, “I used to be a bit of a troublemaker. Let’s just say I’ve got bullet holes in my body. I was involved in some dangerous stuff, but that was years ago.”
At one point, Romal’s apartment was riddled with machine gun fire, and days later, he was shot at Toftegårds Plads. It was a dark time, but he eventually managed to break away from the gang scene.
“With this film, I want to show how hard it is to escape that environment,” Romal says. “Thankfully, I did.”
A New Chapter
Now a father and full-time worker, Romal looks back on his brief life in the underworld as a distant memory, but one that still lingers. His friends who acted in Gadens Melodi played versions of their former selves, having also moved on from the streets.
Gadens Melodi has already garnered international attention, winning the Best Indie Feature award at the Cannes World Film Festival, even before its Danish premiere. Romal hopes the film will serve as a powerful message, not only about the dangers of gang life but also about the struggles of leaving it behind.
“I want to inspire others to see that there’s a way out, but it’s not easy,” Romal concludes. Gadens Melodi offers a stark, unflinching look at the consequences of gang violence while offering a glimmer of hope for those trying to escape it.
