On hearing the name ‘Mirzapur’, the first things that come to mind are guns, abuse, bloodshed, revenge, force and chaos. After taking OTT by storm for three seasons, the popular universe returns to the big screen in cinematic style. ‘Mirzapur The Movie’ is not just a sequel to the web series, but a masala entertainer made for the big screen with a different timeline and a new perspective.

The story of the film takes forward the old battle for the throne of Mirzapur with a new twist. At the center once again is Kaleen Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi), whose hunger for power drives this world. Munna Bhaiya (Divyendu) struggles to gain his father’s approval, while Guddu Pandit (Ali Fazal) and Bablu Pandit (Jitendra Kumar) are caught between power and rivalry. The biggest twist this time comes from Babban Babua (Ravi Kishan), who enters as a new player to seize power. Bina Bhabhi (Rasika Dugal) is also seen changing the equation with her moves.

The story of ‘Mirzapur: The Movie’ takes the old battle and occupation of Mirzapur in a new way. At the center of the story once again is Pankaj Tripathi aka Kaleen Bhaiya, whose dominance and hunger for power keeps this world running. Munna Bhaiya (Divyendu) is still trying to win his father’s approval and become the heir to the throne, while the lives of brothers Guddu Pandit (Ali Fazal) and Bablu Pandit (Jitendra Kumar) are caught between power, family and old rivalries. This time, Ravi Kishan’s character Babban Babua comes into the story as a new player, with his eye on the power and control of Mirzapur. His arrival makes the already complex equations even more difficult. Old relationships, loyalty, betrayal, revenge and lust for power – all these come together in the story. Bina Bhabhi (Rasika Dugal) also makes her move in this power struggle and brings a new twist to the story.

Guddu and Munna’s presence rekindles old wounds. On the other hand, Bablu is making a comeback with a different actor this time, due to which comparisons are natural in the minds of the audience. Along with the power struggle, the story also deals with relationships, loyalty, love and betrayal. The film is not trying to tell a very complicated or deep political story. It is basically a masala entertainer that tries to give the audience a dramatic experience through the established world of Mirzapur. When these things come out clearly, the film looks funny. The problem starts when it starts accommodating too many letters and tracks at once. There are many parts that work well individually, but when everything comes together, the film starts to feel a little disjointed. OTT gives the freedom to spread the story over multiple episodes, but every scene in the film must contribute to the momentum of the story. This is not always the case here.

Pankaj Tripathi as Clean Bhaiya is strong as always, but his screen time is minimal. A direct match between him and Ravi Kishan would have been even more interesting. Ravi Kishan Babban impresses as Babua. Whenever he comes on screen, your eyes are fixed on him. You won’t be able to look away even for a moment. He brings a real avant-garde style. His movement and body language make him more powerful than Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal and Divyendu Sharma. Ali Fazal (Guddu Pandit) and Divyendu Sharma (Munna Bhaiya) have managed to rekindle the nostalgia on screen. The style of both is same old. His passionate style remains the same today as before.

Mohit Malik in the role of Birju Lohar brings a new twist to the story. The story seems to revolve around them before reaching the climax. His acting is tremendous. His loyalty, love and dangerous nature are clearly reflected in his performance. [स्पॉइलर अलर्ट]: But if this character had survived, there would have been a lot of expectations from him in the fourth season. This is Mohit Malik’s second film. Before that he was a big TV star. Years later his talent was recognized and he made full and proper use of the opportunity he got. Rasika Dugal has done a remarkable job once again. She turns the story in the climax. Rasika in the character of Bina Bhabhi leaves the same old impression.

Sonali Chauhan has played the role of Mumtaz Bibi. Her role is small, but she is perfect in this role. Her pairing with Ravi Kishan looks very good. It is not easy to take your eyes off her beauty. Jitinder Kumar has played the role of Bablu Pandit. Vikrant Massey has played this character so brilliantly in the Mirzapur series that it is impossible to erase his impression from this character. So, no matter how hard Jeetendra tries, he cannot make the same impression as Vikrant. He is a good actor, but this character was not made for him. Vikrant Massey’s name is already written on it.

Sheeba Chadha is excellent as Guddu and Bablu’s mother Vasudha. Rajesh Thilang is also impressive in the role of Guddu’s father. He knows how to make an impact with his powerful performance even with less screen time. Sushant Singh in the character of Bhairav ​​Singh Karnat is treated unfairly in the story. Such a talented actor deserved a strong place in the story. You will feel time and again that despite being considered one of the first gangsters of the film industry, he has not been fully utilized. His talent was evident in almost every film of Ram Gopal Varma. Kulbhushan Kharbanda is perfect in the role of Babuji. Abhishek Banerjee is also fine in the role of the compounder, but it wouldn’t have mattered much if he wasn’t in the story. His role could have been much smaller and it wouldn’t have mattered. ‘Lapata Ladies’ actor Satyendra Soni also looks good in his small role. Shaji Chaudhary is once again good in the role of Maqbool. Pramod Pathak has done justice to the role of JP Yadav. The presence or absence of Shriya Pilgaonkar, Harshita Gaur and Shweta Tripathi does not make much difference.

Director Gurmeet Singh has tried his best to retain the original look of Mirzapur. Gang wars, car chases and head-to-head confrontations are shot on a large enough scale to suit the big screen. The Rajasthani locations and background score give the film a cinematic scale. However, not every action sequence is as impressive, especially those starring Ravi Kishan and Ali Fazal. At some places it feels like the action is added to create excitement for the audience rather than flowing naturally from the story. Despite the large setup, not every scene carries that much emotional weight.

Gurmeet Singh knows what the audience of Mirzapur wants. They have tried to retain the taste of old Mirzapur in the treatment of the film. The dialogue, the character’s behavior, the violence and the bitterness in the relationships all retain the identity of the original series. The direction is strongest when it brings the characters face to face. The excitement of seeing old faces together and the chemistry between them adds extra energy to many scenes. But the biggest problem with the direction is the length and pace of the film. At several places you feel that the film needed to be shortened and tightened a bit on the editing table. Some scenes expand the world without advancing the story. Because of this, the pace slows down at times in the second half.

Slow speed and length: The length of the film is too long. It could have been shortened by cutting unnecessary songs and scenes that insult Munna Bhaiya.

 

Weak peak: Babban Babua (Ravi Kishan) is shown to be very powerful throughout the film, but he is killed very easily and disappointingly in the climax.

 

Lack of logic: In one scene, a seriously injured Guddu Pandit is shown suddenly getting Hulk-like strength from a ‘camel injection’, which seems a bit strange.

 

Effect of sensor board: If you are expecting extremely bold scenes, swearing and cussing like this series, you will get to see all this in theaters in very limited quantity.

The greatest strength of the story is the impact of the world of Mirzapur and its characters. The film brings to the big screen the relationships and power games that define the franchise. The return of Kaleen Bhaiya gives the story the most strength. His calm yet menacing style continues to impress audiences today, even if his role is small.

The old chemistry and tension between Guddu, Munna and Bablu also makes the story interesting. Also, the entry of Ravi Kishan as Babban Yadav adds a new color to the story. His character presents a new challenge for veteran players. The shifting equations between power, family, loyalty and betrayal are fascinating. The best part is that the film does not rely on action alone. It also gives space to the relationships and desires of its characters. This combination of old and new makes it entertaining.

Yes, but you have to balance your expectations a bit. If you are a fan of Mirzapur and want to see your favorite characters on the big screen, the film gives you many moments that make going to the theater worth it. There will be reactions on the dialogues, whistles on the action and the return of old characters will bring back old memories.

But if you are expecting a film that takes the world of Mirzapur to a whole new level, you may be disappointed. There is no dearth of ideas or characters in the film. The problem is quite the opposite. There is so much going on that the story gets very little room to move freely.

Mirzapur: The film has that ‘Bhaukaal’, the charm of old characters, strong performances and many moments that can entertain you in the theatre. Ravi Kishan emerges as the biggest force in the film, while Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Divyandu Sharma and Rasika Duggal retain their respective characters. The problem is that the film’s length, too many storylines, and some poor creative decisions keep it from being the memorable cinematic experience it could have been. If the film was shorter, some unnecessary parts were removed and the climax was made more effective, its impact could have been much greater. Yet watching the world of Mirzapur on the big screen is something else. This movie isn’t the best, but it’s not a complete disappointment either.