A lot of what I like about the Mirzapur franchise can be boiled down to its title theme by John Stewart Eduri. The sound of blacksmiths at work, a minimal bass and synth line, with some light orchestration. Nothing else exemplifies the workman-like focus and the leanness of the early seasons like Eduri’s score. After three seasons of diminishing returns, the show has been rebooted into a feature film, in a parallel timeline when the events of season one concluded. 

Kaleen Bhaiya (a role that propelled Pankaj Tripathi to stardom in the streaming space) strategically protects his Mirzapur throne, a primary bastion to power in Purvanchal. His son Munna (Divyenndu) is too volatile to automatically be entrusted with it. 

On the other hand, his widely-respected/feared henchmen, Guddu (Ali Fazal) and Bablu (Jitendra Kumar, replacing Vikrant Massey) prove to be more-than-capable rivals of Munna. The duo is smart enough to deduce that working for a criminal is too much of a risk, especially if it ends with having to be at Munna’s beck-and-call. There’s a natural friction between Munna and Guddu, who love the same girl, Sweety (Shriya Pilgaonkar). As Kaleen Bhaiya tries to ascertain the succession plan of Mirzapur, it is understandable why some in-fighting and outwardly attempts for the throne make for a watchable film.

Jitendra Kumar as Bablu and Ali Fazal as Guddu in ‘Mirzapur The Movie’.........

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