“Jeet ki guarantee tabhi hai jab jeet aur haar, dono tumhare control mein ho,” says a character in Mirzapur 2, a new but important addition to the cast this season. The show is now available for viewing on Amazon Prime Video and seems to live up to the hype. It has been two years since we saw Akhandanand Tripathi aka Kaleen Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi) massacre anybody who crosses his path. And in Season 2, he vows to make his son, Munna (Divyendu Sharmaa) capable of carrying forward his legacy and ruling the city.
GHAAYAL SHER JAAG CHUKA HAI
Then there is Guddu Pandit (Ali Fazal), who is healing from past wounds, both emotional and physical. His sister, Dimpy (Harshita Gaur) and Golu (Shweta Tripathi), the love interest of his dead brother Bablu (Vikrant Massey), heal him and prepare him for the ultimate fight. But the Dimpy and Golu of Mirzapur 2 are nothing like that of Season 1. Gone are the days when their world was limited to college elections, dates or attending a friend’s wedding. Guns have replaced bangles and blood has replaced lipstick.
MIRZAPUR KA BHAUKAAL
The bloody world of Mirzapur seems to be bloodier in the second season, with revenge, lust for power, and greed echoing in every heart. Be it a politician who is looking forward to inaugurating a park that has his party symbol, mangoes, at the centre or a man who never wanted the life he lives but is forced into it after his father was killed in broad daylight, the second season appears to be much more ruthless.
AB KATTA KE SAATH, DIMAAG BHI CHALEGA
Along with violence, however, our characters are keen on using their brains too and the relationship dynamics are witnessing a major shift. While Golu and Sweety’s father, Parshuram Gupta, was Kaleen Bhaiya’s lapdog in the last season, they have to look for a new one this time. And with Compounder and almost all of his friends gone, Munna has nobody to rely on but his father. Then there is Beena (Rasika Dugal) and her ‘father-in-law’, who tells her “Sher ke mooh khoon lag chuka hai.”
KAUN BAITHEGA MIRZAPUR KI GADDI PAR?
The star of the first two episodes remains Pankaj Tripathi. He talks more with his eyes than his mouth and doesn’t shy away from telling the Chief Minister that his brother is an utter moron. Of course, Kaleen Bhaiya didn’t exactly use the word ‘moron’, but if you watched the previous season, it won’t be hard to guess what he might have said. He is a delight to watch and there is nobody who could’ve played the character with such poise.
Ali Fazal is more menacing this season with his pumped-up body and fierce eyes. He can barely walk after last season’s events but is like a wounded lion, ready to pounce on his prey whenever he gets the chance.
Shweta Tripathi and Harshita Gaur leave us intrigued and have a lot more to do this season, compared to the last one.
Divyendu Sharmaa entertains as well as terrifies us and plays the perfect son to Tripathi.
Sheeba Chaddha and Rajesh Tailang reprise their roles as Vasudha and Ramakant Pandit, respectively and leave us teary-eyed in Episode 2.
We are taken beyond Mirzapur in the second season. The show takes us as far as Lucknow, where the CM has an ‘aam darbar’ and listens to common people’s problems just before the elections.
The maps are laid out, the soldiers are ready, and the planning has begun. Who will sit on the throne and who will lose? Watch the show to find out.
This is an early review based on the first two episodes of Mirzapur 2. Picture abhi baaki hai. Watch this space.
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