Entertainment
Mirzapur The Movie Delivers a Gripping, Well-Crafted Extension of the Hit Series
Mirzapur—The Movie marks a notable first for an Indian television series making its way to the big screen, building on the popularity of the hyper-violent three-season show. Unlike its web counterpart, the film operates under theatrical censorship, tempering the violence and language. Director Gurmmeet Singh, whose previous big-screen efforts including Phone Bhoot, Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene and What The Fish did not succeed, finds his footing here, aided by familiarity with the Mirzapur universe. Working alongside co-writer Puneet Krishna, Singh crafts a fast-paced, gritty thriller.
The film is set between episodes 6 and 7 of the first season, a fact confirmed within the story itself. Despite the difficulty of slotting a new narrative into an established timeline, Singh and Krishna succeed in delivering a substantial story featuring familiar characters, staying true to established continuity. This commitment to narrative consistency and entertainment value makes the film appealing to devoted fans and general thriller audiences alike, even though viewers already know the fates of certain characters from the series.
The plot centers on three intertwined threads. The first involves the rivalry between brothers Guddu (Ali Fazal) and Bablu (Jitendra Kumar) Pandit, trusted enforcers, and Munna (Divyenndu), the inept son of Mirzapur crime boss Akhandanand Tripathi, also known as Kaleen Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi). Kaleen Bhaiya, whose control over Mirzapur is said to determine political power in Uttar Pradesh, relies heavily on Guddu and Bablu to handle threats to his authority, often dismissing his own son as incompetent.
The second thread follows a business and political entanglement: politician J.P. Yadav (Pramod Pathak) demands funds from Kaleen for an election campaign, prompting Kaleen to consider expanding his drug trade. He is introduced to Babban Yadav (Ravi Kishen), J.P. Yadav's relative, who possesses a large drug consignment. However, Babban secretly plots to seize Kaleen's position for himself.
The third thread is romantic: Munna is infatuated with Sweety (Shriya Pilgaonkar), who is in love with Guddu, while her sister Golu (Shweta Tripathi) is involved with Bablu. Guddu is portrayed as physically dominant and impulsive, while Bablu is calm and strategic, forming a contrasting but effective partnership. These storylines converge in a climactic sequence set in the Jaisalmer desert, though the female characters are absent from this segment.
Other key female characters include Beena Tripathi (Rasika Dugal), Kaleen Bhaiya's wife; Sheeba Chaddha, who plays the mother of Guddu and Bablu; Sonal Chauhan as Mumtaz Bibi, Babban's love interest; and Anangsha Biswas as Zarina, a servant in the Tripathi household. These women bring significant depth to the male-dominated narrative.
Technically, the film excels, with cinematography by Sanjay Kapoor capturing an earthy tone, a fitting score by John Stewart Eduri, and sharp editing by Wilson Birampuria that keeps the 197-minute runtime engaging throughout. Puneet Krishna's dialogue is sharp and impactful, with several lines likely to resonate strongly with audiences.
Memorable sequences include confrontations between Munna and Guddu in a salon, a tense scene involving a pawned watch that leads to Babban and Guddu's explosive first meeting, an opening scene showing the brothers dealing with a rival who defies Kaleen, and a sequence where Babban outmaneuvers Bhairav Singh (Sushant Singh), the original owner of the drug shipment. One narrative stretch involves Bablu's improbable ability to locate Babban in the desert, though this does not significantly detract from the film's entertainment value.
The performances are uniformly strong. Ali Fazal, Rasika Dugal, Rajesh Tailang (playing the honest lawyer father of Guddu and Bablu), Sheeba Chaddha, Shaji Choudhary as Kaleen's enforcer Maqbool Khan, Divyenndu, and Abhishek Banerjee as Munna's loyalist Compounder all deliver convincing portrayals. Pankaj Tripathi surpasses his television performance with an even more commanding presence as Kaleen Bhaiya. Ali Fazal anchors the film, complemented by Jitendra Kumar, known for Panchayat, who delivers his strongest film performance yet as the pragmatic Bablu. Kumar's casting, replacing Vikrant Massey, proves effective given Massey's recent less impactful roles.
Ravi Kishan stands out as the cunning yet charismatic Babban, blending menace with dark humor. Sushant Singh is compelling in his brief role as Bhairav Singh, and Mohit Malik delivers a solid performance as Beena's lover.
The success of Mirzapur—The Movie is likely to pave the way for more ambitious film adaptations of successful web series. Despite its morally complex characters, the film remains a compelling watch centered on themes of loyalty amid crime and ambition.
Rating: **** Produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Excel Entertainment, the film is helmed by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, directed by Gurmmeet Singh, and written by Puneet Krishna. Music is composed by Ray, Junaid Kumar, Anand Bhaskar, and Dhanda Nyoliwala. The cast includes Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Jitendra Kumar, Divyenndu, Ravi Kishan, Pramod Pathak, Rajesh Tailang, Anjum Sharma, Abhishek Banerjee, Mohit Malik, Shaji Chaudhary, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Shubhrajyoti Barat, Satendra Soni, Rasika Dugal, Sonal Chauhan, Sheeba Chaddha, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Shweta Tripathi, Anangsha Biswas, Harshita Gaur, Meghna Malik, and others.