Here it is! So many messages, so many DMs later, it is finally here! A couple of years ago when the culture of web series was just setting up in India, a web series by the name Mirzapur caught the fancy of the audience. Be it the characters or the choice of expletives, the audience gave a Big thumbs up to the series which translated into innumerable memes too. And over a period of time, it not only became a cult but in a population of 1.3 billion in our country, at least a billion of them were asking, Mirzapur 2 kab aayega. That was the second most used line after Katappa ne Bahubali Ko Kyun Maara. Well, Mirzapur 2 ab aa chuka hai(it has finally arrived). Is it worth the humongous hype and your time…..who am I even kidding, you are going to watch it anyway. So lets cut the crap and keep the ball moving!

Mirzapur 2 takes off exactly from the point where season 1 had ended. We all remember that ‘Red Wedding’ wherein the first season had ended in a cliffhanger. And so this is a story of vengeance only that it is more cerebral. The story is a good one! Season 1 had shown that the makers are not shy of killing off some of the loved characters as well (just like in Game of Thrones) and so you eagerly wait for the shocking twists and turns in the screenplay(and there are quite a few). The screenplay though had to live up to the first season and probably this is where it falters a bit. While we have many known characters like Guddu, Munna, Golu, Kaleen Bhaiyya or even our meme material ‘Bh*****wale’ Chacha(yes he is here too) but there are many new characters thrown in too. And here lies the fault – A few unwanted subplots involving new characters that slow down the pace particularly in the middle. But on the plus side, the writing is cerebral with a great premise and a simmering buildup that you will enjoy till episode 4. Things slow down drastically post that and you really feel like ‘Come On, Lets Get On With It, Please’. Thankfully, things start coming together after the seventh episode and you start tasting the flavour of Mirzapur post that when things speed up culminating into a thrilling finale(though a notch lower than the first part). Probably a tighter series being wrapped up in under 8 episodes may have been the need of the hour! The dialogues are the highlight here, with great and punchy one-liners, some of them that I see getting converted into memes too. The music and BGM are good. Directors Gurmmeet Singh and Mihir Desai had a huge task on their hands and I can safely say that they have come out with flying colours. Direction here was not an easy job(also owing to massive expectations), and they have really put their best foot forward.

The performances are excellent and they will keep you hooked and booked. I will begin with the newbies and then mention the old players. Lilliput as Daddu is a revelation, so nice to see him getting such roles. Vijay Varma in a double role as Bharat and Shatrughan is outstanding and even though his character(s) could have done without, his acting is impeccable. Paritosh Sand as Yadav is superb. Isha Talwar as Madhuri is highly underrated and she is excellent here, wish to see more of her going forward. Ali Quli Mirza shines as Shekhu in a cameo, so does Neha Sargam as Saloni. Anjum Sharma as Sharad has a great screen presence and he is someone on whom I’ll place my money to watch out for. Priyanshu Painyuli as Robin is confident though in a larger scheme of things, his character was not really required. Amit Sial as Maurya is first rate as usual. Rajesh Tailang as Guddu’s father is yet again outstanding, Sheeba Chaddha as Guddu’s mother has her moments too. Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Bauji stamps his authority. Pramod Pathak as JP Yadav has his moments, so does Anangsha Biswas as Zarina and Manurishi Chadha as IG. Harshita Gaur as Dimpy is also very good, so is Shernavaz Jijina as Shabnam. Rasika Duggal as Beena has a bit of a transformation, from being sexually active in the first season to this conniving lady creating confusion. Shaji Chaudhary as Maqbool has a great character arc. Now to its main players – Shweta Tripathi Sharma as the gun toting Golu is outstanding, this is one character that is a complete opposite from the other roles essayed by her and she plays this with some fire. Ali Fazal aka Guddu is outstanding. From being a guy with all mass and little brain to this agile and sharp person, Guddu has come a long way. Divyendu aka Munna is yet again excellent. From playing Liquid in Pyaar Ka Punchnama to now this, Divyendu has come a long way and how! And Pankaj Tripathi aka Kaaleen Bhaiyya, another acting masterclass! Never once does he raise his voice in the entire series, yet his words could end up killing you, he is that good here!

Just to sum it up, is Mirzapur 2 a good watch – Absolutely. Does it have flaws – Yes, it does. Is it as good as Season 1 – Yes and No(writing is more cerebral yet a little too overindulgent), should it be watched – Absolutely(treat it as an independent series and you will love it). Available on Amazon Prime.

PS : Yeh Mirzapur 3 kab aayega??😥😅