Digital review: ‘Mirzapur’

Amazon Prime’s latest digital series to release is ‘Mirzapur’, which has been described as a an ‘edge-of-your-seat’ gangster drama, is exactly that. Set in the city of Mirzapur, the story is depicted around the deathly mix of power, guns, drugs and politics. It explores various relationships all in which are tested to their limit. Created by Karan Anshuman and Puneet Krishna with Gurmmeet Singh directing, there has not been a stone left unturned in each episode.

The story revolves around two brothers – Guddu Pandit (Ali Faizal) and Bablu Pandit (Vikrant Massey) find themselves forced into a difficult decision to work for Mirzapur’s don – Kaaleen bhaiya’ (Pankaj Tripathi). This enfolds after a brawl at the Pandit brother’s home involving the don’s son Munna Tripathi (Divyendu Sharma) and his friends. Soon after agreeing to join, much to their lawyer father, Ramakant Pandit’s (Rajesh Tailang) disapproval, the brothers soon get to grips with the dark underworld and confidently shine as the new apprentices in handling Tripathi’s work.

What has to be commended is the way ‘Mirzapur’ has been written. There are many elements that make up each of the characters individual stories, though simultaneously they are all intertwined seamlessly, slowly unravelling in each episode without giving away too much. As a viewer, it was hard to tell where the story was heading, just when you think you have an inclination there’s an unexpected plot twist. It has to be said with ‘Mirzapur’ expect lots of violence in graphic detail right from the start, which may not be to everyone’s taste and there are some adult scenes too. Aside from this, there were moments of humour and endearment, a welcomed break from all the action!

‘Mirzapur’ also showcases the complexities of different relationships, be it father and son, sibling love or friendships, with the general theme – loyalty.

With an impressive cast line-up, it is not possible to say who outshone who, as they all played their characters with such conviction. However it must be noted, the chemistry of Faizal and Massey playing the Pandit brothers was a sheer delight. They complimented each other really well even if they were like chalk and cheese, but one thing they had in common was they had each others back no matter what and always worked as a team.

Faizal has physically transformed himself as Guddu and portrays his role effortlessly, including the dialogue delivery. He is described as a phelvan or ‘Hulk’ and not always considered the brightest spark, however was fearless and committed to any task at hand.

Massey’s character was softer in nature in comparison, someone who thought things through before taking any decision, whilst looking out for his elder brother Guddu’s interest at all times. He had the brains and was integral to the success and overhaul of Tripathi’s criminal business.

The leading ladies in this series were Rasika Duggal who played Tripathi’s second wife Beena Tripathi. Shriya Pilgaonkar as Guddu’s love interest – Sweety Gupta and Shweta Tripathi as Golu Gupta and Sweety’s sister. These three all showed strength and grit in a world where their close ones play with death on a daily basis.

The run time for each episode was between 45-50 minutes. It is possible to binge watch the whole series as there was a sense of wanting to know what happens next. The plot thickens with each episode too, the makers drip feed new characters along the way and promising plenty of surprises be it good or bad. With a few cliffhangers in the final episode, a second series will definitely play a different narrative and it will be interesting to see how the story continues on from here.

BizAsiaLive.com rating: 4/5