Mirzapur - 2018

Introduction

Mirzapur is a thriller and drama show based in the crime city of Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. It follows the story of Kaleen Bhaiya and how he maintains control over the city. Produced by Excel Entertainment and created by Karan Anshuman, the show has two seasons and gained a cult following upon being released on Amazon Prime. 

Table of Contents

• Details

• Plot

• Schedule

• Review

• Cast

• Crew

• Character Analysis

• Behind the Scenes

• Controversy

• Awards

• Interesting facts

• Conclusion

Details

Plot

The show revolves around Kaleen Bhaiya's stronghold over Mirzapur and how actions from different people, primarily his son, threaten his power. On the other hand, two middle-class brothers in the town, Guddu and Bablu, are trying to make it big in life through honesty; however, their fate is intertwined with that of Kaleen Bhaiya.

Schedule

The first season of Mirzapur, with 9 episodes, premiered on 16 October 2018 on Prime Video. The second season with 10 episodes, was released on 23 October 2020 on the same platform.

Reviews

8.5/10

Mirzapur is a show packed with drama, thrill, and crime and is a show one cannot stop watching. It draws the viewer into this fictionalised world based in Mirzapur, and one cannot help but appreciate the stellar storytelling that is strengthened by powerful performances by each and every cast member.

Mirzapur is probably one of India's first shows to take a deep dive into the gangster world. The story is about power, interpersonal relationships, family conflict, and even humour. This ensured that the show was entertaining for all adult viewers, not just the ones interested in action.

Vikrant Massey and Ali Fazal came out as the clear winners of the audience's hearts, with their depiction of a normal youth's ambition and how that inevitably takes a dark turn. Pankaj Tripathi, as the villain, was not far behind, and many even consider him the best performance of the show. Supported by other cast members such as Divyendu Sharma and Shweta Tripathi, the show ensured stellar performances that never failed to entertain.

Cast

Crew

• Director- Karan Anshuman, Gurmeet Singh, Mihir Desai

• Written by- Karan Anshuman, Puneet Krishna, Vineet Krishna

• Producer- Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Kassim Jagmagia

• Cinematographer- Sanjay Kapoor

• Music- Anand Bhaskar

• Production House- Excel Entertainment

• Composer- John Stewart Eduri

• Editor- Manan Ashwin Mehta, Anshul Gupta

Character Analysis

• Akhandanand Tripathi/ Kaleen Bhaiya: Kaleen Bhaiya is the unofficial king of Mirzapur, also a criminal responsible for running a drug and guns trade under the guise of a carpet business. He has a son, Munna, who is constantly creating trouble. 

• Govind Pandit/ Guddu: Guddu is the son of a humble small-time lawyer, Ramakand Pandit, and lives a middle-class life in Mirzapur. His interests lie in weight-lifting, but he finds a newfound passion for the criminal life after he meets Kaleen Bhaiya and starts working for him.

• Vinay Pandit/ Bablu: Bablu, Guddu's younger brother, is rational, forward-thinking, and working hard to achieve his goal of becoming an IAS officer. He is one of the few characters that display a sense of calm and honesty.

• Phoolchand Tripathi/ Munna: An arrogant and spoiled brat, Munna is Kaleen Bhaiya's only son and the person responsible for kick-starting the entire ordeal of the show. He is power-hungry without having the desire to work for it. He runs a very short temper and is almost always surrounded by his cronies who will kill for him. 

Seasons

Season 1

Kaleen Bhaiya is the gangster of Mirzapur who runs a carpet business as a front for his drugs and illegal gun business empire. His son, Munna, ends up murdering a groom during his wedding. His case falls into the hands of Ramakant Pandit, an honest lawyer who is willing to bring Munna to justice. Kaleen Bhaiya personally intervenes and tries to stop Ramakant, which is when he meets his two sons, Guddu and Bablu. Seeing their passion and fearlessness, he offers them a job in his business which they accept. 

Munna feels betrayed by this and decides to hatch a plan to get rid of his father for good. Guddu and Bablu are summoned by Kaleen Bhaiya's arch-nemesis, who ends up killing him. The news reaches Kaleen Bhaiya, who decides the two brothers are loose cannons and gives Munna the green light to kill them. 

Season 2

This season continues right from the end of season 1 and shows how Guddu and Golu have fled from the wedding along with Dimpy and are safely hiding inside an abandoned building near Mirzapur. They only have one goal - to defeat Kaleen Bhaiya and gain control over Mirzapur. 

Beena is pregnant but completely unsatisfied with her life at home. She joins hands with Guddu and Golu to take down Kaleen bhaiya and helps them burn down one of his gun factories. Season 2 ends with only Kaleen bhaiya surviving from the Tripathi family. 

Predictions

The third season of Mirzapur is expected to focus on Kaleen Bhaiya regaining control over Mirzapur and avenging the death of his father and son. There are speculations that he will be saved by his nephew Sharad and then plan to kill his wife, who betrayed him. Madhuri, who is now the Chief Minister, will also try to avenge Munna's death and make it difficult for Guddu to rule Mirzapur.

Although Amazon Prime has confirmed a 3rd season for the show, no dates have been announced as of yet.

Behind the Scenes

Play

In a video by Amazon Prime, Vikrant Massey is seen sharing a funny moment with Ali Fazal where he is playing with his body in order to get into character. 

Controversy

A complaint was filed against the show's producers in Allahabad, citing that the show had a lot of offensive language. This complaint was quashed by the Allahabad HC, and there was no case registered against the producers. 

Awards

Interesting Facts

• The production team of the show had to go through a lot of trouble to create the fake opium that is shown in the series. They used a mixture of dark chocolate and milk, froze it and cut it into small pieces to make the opium look realistic.

• Akhanda's house in the show is shot in a real haveli called the Moti Jheel Haveli in Varanasi. It took the crew about 10 days to restore the structure and make it fit for shooting.

Conclusion

Mirzapur is an Indian series set in a crime city. Displaying the dark and grim underbelly of the crime lords, the show won over the audience with its intense screenplay and strong characters.