Mirzapur The Movie review: Goli, gaali, bhaukaal and a whole lot of nostalgia

Mirzapur The Movie review: The film has moved from OTT to theatres with a parallel story set alongside season one. The film revives key characters and delivers familiar chaos, though its scale proves overindulgent.

In Short

• Mirzapur: The Movie is a parallel story to season one, not a sequel
• Guddu and Munna's rivalry remains central and intense
• Ravi Kishan adds fresh energy as a villain with a romantic side

The goli is back and so are the gaalis... the greed, the dhoka, the dysfunctional families and, of course, the bhaukaal. After three successful seasons on OTT, Mirzapur has finally arrived on the big screen. And if you were expecting the same old madness, just bigger and louder, the film does not disappoint. It is pulpy, dramatic, masaledaar and, for the most part, a damn fun watch. The only problem? It simply doesn’t know when to stop.

Written by the original writer Puneet Krishna and directed by Gurmeet Singh, Mirzapur: The Movie takes an interesting route. It isn’t a sequel, a continuation or even a spin-off. It is a parallel story that runs alongside the events of Season one. Which means, yes, some very dead people are suddenly alive again. Sweety (Shriya Pilgaonkar), Munna (Divyendu Sharma), Bablu -- all are back. And this time, Bablu is played by Jeetendra Kumar, taking over from Vikrant Massey.

The throne of Mirzapur remains the ultimate prize because, as the show has repeatedly established, whoever sits on the throne of Mirzapur controls Purvanchal, and potentially can play a role in the country's politics. But beneath the guns and the power games, it is the relationships that make this universe tick. And nobody embodies that better than Guddu and Munna.

Ali Fazal and Divyendu Sharma slip back into their characters like they never left. Their rivalry remains one of the film’s biggest strengths because Guddu and Munna are essentially two sides of the same coin. Both are impulsive, hot-headed, want power, and, more importantly, both are constantly chasing the validation of their fathers. There is also love, jealousy, insecurity and that eternal need to defeat each other.

Guddu, meanwhile, is still the human equivalent of a gym bro who flaunts his bulky body and survives on protein shakes. The steroid-pumping bull is back, charging into situations with his muscles long before his brain gets a chance to catch up. And standing beside him is Bablu, the exact opposite. If Guddu is the muscle, Bablu is the brain -- the younger brother who can actually read a room, understand people and figure out how to get them out of trouble.

Then there is Ravi Kishan, making an entry with as much swag as his recent viral video, and immediately adds some much-needed spark. He is fabulous as a villain with a romantic side. This is a man who can pick up a gun and look every bit the macho bad guy, but can also sit down and stitch a blouse for his lady love (Sonal Chauhan).

Pankaj Tripathi, as always, needs very little to command attention. Kaleen Bhaiya remains the man who can threaten you without actually saying anything. A look, a pause, and his trademark head nod. And then there is Beena. Rasika Dugal finally gets more to do than simply being the show’s most sexualised character. Her arc here gives her greater agency and allows the character to breathe beyond the obvious. It is easily one of the film’s more satisfying additions. However, the other ladies -- Shriya, Shweta Tripathi and Harshika Gaur hardly have two scenes each.

The humour still lands, the action packs a punch, and the Rajasthan portions look particularly gorgeous. There is even room for romance amid all the bloodshed, giving the otherwise dark world a different shade. But here is where Mirzapur: The Movie loses its grip. The makers are so invested in preserving the show’s complicated relationships, layered characters and multiple storylines that they forget one small thing: this is a film, not a 10-episode season. There is simply too much going on.

The long-form storytelling that worked beautifully on OTT doesn’t always translate to the big screen. In a theatre, you want the drama to move. You want the tension to build and explode. This needed a tighter script, and obviously better editing. There are so many scenes, including one car chase towards the end, that seem absolutely forced.

Thankfully, the masala keeps you going. The music is fun, the rap tracks add to the swagger, and yes, Vaaroon makes a comeback, while Sanson Ki Mala adds a soft touch to the ending. The dialogues are also very much in OG Mirzapur territory. Even Guddu’s mother gets her own SRK moment with the rather dramatic “bete se pehle maa pe goli chalana” line. And then comes the climax-- easily one of the film’s biggest crowd-pleasers.

So, does Mirzapur: The Movie work? Yes. Did it need to be more than three hours long? Absolutely not.

It is a film made with obvious love for the world, its characters and, most importantly, its fans. And that love is visible in every little moment. But somewhere between trying to give every character a moment and every relationship a backstory, the film becomes a little too indulgent. Mirzapur does feel exactly like the chaotic, pulpy ride you signed up for. Maybe you can just take along a little extra patience when you head to the theatres.

- Ends