The film directed by Gurmeet Singh functions as a parallel story to the popular web show. Some of the dead characters Munna and Bablu make a comeback from the grave, the ever-competent Jitender Sharma takes over Vikrant Massey’s slot. Ravi Kishan as one of the new additions makes for a solid villain with a cute romantic side. His swag filled moments gives the movie some of its best moments. However, the spine of Mirzapur is the trio of Divyendu Sharma, Ali Fazal and Pankaj Tripati.
Starcast: Divyendu Sharma, Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripati, Jitender Sharma, Ravi Kishan, Khulbushan Karbanda, Rasika Duggal, Sonal Chauhan and others
Director: Gurmeet Singh
Genre: Crime
Story: Puneet Krishan
Music: John Strewart Eduri
Cinematography: Sanjay Kapoor
Producers: Ritesh Sidwani and Farhan Akhtar
Production Companies: Excel Entertainment and Amazon MGM Studios
Running time: 3 hours and 17 minutes
The three seasons of Mirzapur has a strong fan following, the characters of Divyendu, Ali Fazal and Pankaj Tripati in particular have become household names. The entertaining one liners and scenes from the series have been used as memes too. Now you have the world of Mirzapur in a movie format, the nutshell of the film is the same as the series which are gang wars and the fight for the throne of Purvanchal. This spin off primarily focuses on the dynamics between Munna (Divyendu Sharma) and Guddu (Ali Fazal). Guddu along with Jitender Sharma’s Bablu are the right- and left-hand men of Pankaj Tripati’s Kaleen Bhaiya. Ravi Kishan plays Baban Yadav; a man who is on the run with a consignment of drugs. Baban is also one of the numerous candidates aiming for the throne of Mirzapur. Nothing more can be revealed given the numerous other subplots.
A strong aspect of Mirzapur is the character design of Divyendu and Ali Fazal. Both Munna and Guddu are the two sides of the same coin, whether it’s the hot-headed nature or the need for constant validation from their respective fathers. The undercurrents of jealousy and insecurity has come out well in the intense moments.
Here a crucial mention must be made of a post interval portion set in Rajasthan. Kaleen Bhaiya gets kidnapped and numerous lives are at stake. A point comes where Munna and Guddu have to put aside their egos and work as a team. Jitender Sharma’s dialogues pointing out how they are essentially similar and then persuading the two to put aside their differences is the films biggest highlight.
A special mention must also be made of Ravi Kishan. His entry gives a different energy to the movie. His character Baban comes with two shades. One is the extremely ruthless gangster and two a love-struck man. Sonal Chauhan plays a dancer cum love interest, their scenes though few in number have a few adorable moments. For example, there is a scene of Baban stitching a blouse for his lady love. Their interactions have some cute moments with Ravi Kishan pulling off both the shades in a solid manner.
Rasika Dugal’s role in the film comes with an important backstory giving a different dimension to the web show. Rasika does well in pulling off both the shrewdness and an inner strength. Jitender Sharma taking over from Vikrant Massey fights in well, his on-screen chemistry with Ali Fazal and their different approaches has come out well.
As already mentioned Divyendu, Ali Fazal and Pankaj Tripati are the spine of the movie. The trio get some solid individual moments aided by the masala flavored writing; Divyendu’s Munna continues to be the entertaining bad guy with a flamboyant nature. Much like the web show Divyendu doesn’t miss a single beat in portraying the different shades, what stands tall admist the larger-than-life persona is an aching vulnerability.
Ali Fazal too slips into his role with practiced ease. A strong physical persona majorly helps along with a certain daredevil nature. Pankaj Tripati also makes a strong impact with his understated approach. The way he exudes power underneath a calm exterior is a treat to watch. Abhishek Benarjee as Munna’s loyal aid has his moments too.
Two major issues with Mirzapur movie is its super stretchy run time and the weakly written love stories. The scenes featuring Shriya and Swetha Tripati have a pleasant nature but in the larger scheme of things don’t make much of an impact. The music too barring Sonal Chauhan’s raunchy number come across as major speed breakers.
Sanjay Kapoor as a cinematographer does a fine job in capturing the rustic locations. A particular mention must be made of the action blocks set in Rajasthan desert. It immerses the viewers making them feel the danger.
Final word: Mirzapur is worth watching for fans of the show and those who like crime dramas in general.