Mirzapur The Movie Review: Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Ravi Kishan extend heft to this unwanted theatrical extension of the Mirzapur Cinematic Universe

Mirzapur The Movie Story

Akhandanand Tripathi aka Kaleen Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi) is the undisputed king of Mirzapur and will go to any lengths to preserve his throne and empire. But new and old foes emerge to threaten his dominance.

New nemesis Babban Babua (Ravi Kishan), a drug supplier from Jaisalmer, eyes the throne and joins forces with Kaleen’s arch-rival Rati Shankar Shukla (Subhrajyoti Barat) of Jaunpur, with due support from UP CM’s brother J.P Yadav (Pramod Pathak).

With the help of his loyal men Maqbool (Shaji Chaudhary) and brothers Guddu Pandit and Bablu Pandit (Ali Fazal and Jitendra Kumar), Tripathi aims to eliminate his enemies, even as his own son Munna (Divyendu) resents him.

Mirzapur The Movie Review

Directed by Gurmmeet Singh and written by Puneet Krishna, Mirzapur The Movie revives the world of the series that was meticulously created across three seasons, since it first premiered in 2018 on Amazon Prime Video. Carrying scenes that were explicitly brazen with heavy usage of cuss words and sex, the series was path-breaking when the OTT wave had just swept over audiences in the aforementioned year and was a strong contender to Sacred Games by Netflix, in terms of fan recall. While Season 1 received a mixed reception, it was Season 2 during the pandemic in 2020, that piqued the interest of the audiences further, with many who chose to watch both seasons together while they were confined to their homes. The popularity of the catch phrases delivered by the actors demanded fan edits which led to further hype and following for the franchise.

Three seasons down since 2018, the novelty has surely run out considering Season 3, which premiered in 2024, was a colossal letdown. It surely is a brave and risky predicament for the makers to bank upon the popularity of a series to draw theatrical perks. But does intent match the effort?

The movie retains much of its primary cast from the series, with the major change being Jitendra Kumar reprising Bablu Pandit, a character that fans fondly remember Vikrant Massey in. The first half of the plot is mostly centred around introducing familiar characters and new faces into the mix before the gear shifts in the latter half. Even as some of the popular lines from the series are well-used to elicit cheers from the audience, the excitement is never built over a meaty premise.

When Ravi’s Babban proposes a deal to draw Pankaj’s Akhanda out of Mirzapur, it makes for a pretty flimsy excuse to draw the lion out of his den. It becomes even more laughable to see Akhanda and his men fall for the bait, rather easily.

In the meanwhile, the plot is muddled with sub-plots that aren’t particularly new. Divyendu as Munna evokes the same empathy that viewers once accorded to his character on OTT. Even as he does despicable things whether it is exploiting his house help Radhiya (Prashansa Sharma) or chasing Sweety (Shriya Pilgaonkar) against her will, while she falls for Guddu instead, Munna still gets the opportunity to throw away some smart lines during his bonhomie with his friend Compounder (Abhishek Banerjee).

Guddu is also seeking approval from his upright father (Rajesh Tailang) while his mother (Sheeba Chadda) enjoys the perks of her son being revered out of fear. Bablu loves Golu (Shweta Tripathi Sharma) but is unable to express his feelings for her. Then there is the repressed Beena (Rasika Dugal) who gets a newer arc to seek herself out of the helplessness she feels under the Tripathi clan.

Like Akhanda, Babban too is further aided in his quest by his loyal Man Friday Birju Lohar (Mohhit Malik), who has his own agenda against the Mirzapur leader, even as Babban himself is on the run from his boss Bhairav Singh Karnavat (Sushant Singh).

Shot skilfully by Sanjay Kapoor across the deserted lands of UP and Rajasthan, the sets and the frames appear mounted through human efforts and not through the convenient usage of AI. The theme song of the series that was popularised by John Stewart Eduri is retained for the movie, even as Anand Bhaskar, Dhanda Nyoliwala, Ray and Junaid Kumar add new compositions into the narrative. Although some of the songs do pack a punch, they barely register themselves in the minds of the audience owing to poor integration in the screenplay. But surely, they warrant for isolated listening.

At 3 hours and 17 minutes, Mirzapur The Movie further offers an opportunity for recurring characters to make an appearance or two for cheers but they only crowd the screenplay sans an exciting story. Unfortunately, that is the biggest demerit of a loved series’ theatrical outing.

Mirzapur The Movie verdict

Mirzapur The Movie is a bold move to market loved actors who acquired fame on OTT, as potential stars who possess the box-office pull. If only there was more meat in the storyline. As you watch the end credits roll with post-credit sequences promising a sequel, you aren’t particularly excited. Maybe, that’s the cue for makers to get the memo and move on from their cherished Mirzapur Cinematic Universe.