Note: This review is based on the first two episodes of Mirzapur 2
The much-awaited second season of Amazon Prime video’s original Mirzapur is out. Kaleen Bhaiyya (Pankaj Tripathi) was hands down the best thing about the first season of Mirzapur and in the new season, this fact doesn’t change. In fact, he gets inexplicably better in a way only Pankaj Tripathi can – effortless building on his menacing air and the wry sense of humour. We see enough of him in the first 2 episodes to want to watch the rest of the series just to admire his inimitable style.
After an elaborate recap reminding us of the fate of many a felled characters and the spilled blood, we enter a world that evokes an all-pervasive atmosphere of revenge and violence. Guddu (Ali Fazal) , Golu (Shweta Tripathi ), and Dimpy (Harshita Gaur) are on the run. Bruised, broken but seething with rage as they try and consolidate help to avenge the deaths of Babloo (Vikrant Massey) and Sweety (Shriya Pilgaonkar)
The unrelenting violence and gore of course is deeply embedded in the narrative. We even see in graphic detail a man die on the spot as a bullet tears through, ripping open his brain onto the plate of food he was eating from and spilled blood is basically the carpet on which these volatile characters walk. However, at least for the first 2 episodes, the slow-burning austere style of filmmaking makes for a powerful watch.
Munna Bhaiyaa (Divyendu) is still trying to impress his father and show him he is a worthy contender to take over Mirzapur. He seems to have evolved as a person and has far more layers to his character, but every time he is on-screen we can't help but wonder if he will trip on his smug belief of being invincible and have an inglorious fall. The precariously balanced world after the death of Ratikant Mishra in the previous season now foregrounds his son Sharad played by an impeccably restrained Anjum Sharma.
But the ones who seem to hold the most promise are the women characters. Shweta Tripathi and Rasika Duggal, both supremely talented, get a chance to dig their teeth into solid meaty roles. Much of the power that their characters hold is not explicitly spelt out but thanks to some brilliant subtle writing and their faultless performance draws us in completely. A familiarity to the narrative notwithstanding, we can’t wait to find out how Beena and Golu circumvent the testosterone fuelled world and make a bewitching rulebook of their own.
“Kaun baithega Mirzapur ki gaddi par?” (Who will rule Mirzapur?) is what we hope to find out soon. If this is the track that the show stays on, I suspect the second season will be more taut and gripping than its predecessor but fingers crossed. For now, the verdict – it seems delightfully binge-worthy.
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