A revenge ride

Nonika Singh 

Guns, goons and glory… Season two of Mirzapur begins exactly where you left it. In case, you have forgotten the gory details who all we lost in the first season, it even recounts it all for you in a fast forward fashion. That Mirzapur 2 will once more be a battle for Mirzapur’s gaddi and centre around Guddu Pandit’s revenge is perhaps a foregone conclusion. But if you think Mirzapur is still a man’s world, you couldn’t be more wrong. Be it Beena (Rasika Dugal) who has learnt to play the game using men as pawns or Golu ( Shweta Tripathi  Pandit) who can now shoot without flinching, women get bloodier, nastier and far smarter than their male counterparts. They extract their pound of flesh literally and metaphorically. Even the new addition to the Mirzapur-scape, Madhvi Yadav ( Isha Talwar) is no pushover. 

Of course, men have not lost their mean bone. Only the abominable Munna (Divyendu) begins to grow on you. Sure he is as vengeful and almost kills for pleasure too. Nevertheless, he charms with his snootiness and his chutzpah bordering on ‘devil may care’ attitude. Guddu Pandit’s bravado too shows no signs of fading. Ali Fazal’s character undergoes a transformation is more subdued, but far more effective. 

In fact, compelling performances hold the series that is as finely edited as ably directed. Even when you think the series is moving away from the main plot, unnecessary diversions by way of certain love angles, there is a purpose to these add-ons. The new entrants are not just tossed around for effect. Even Vijay Varma’s dual role ( Bharat and Shatrugan Tyagi) which you are tempted to dismiss as unnecessary, is not quite so. However, even more interesting than the twin act by Varma is that of the father played by Lilliput. As the badass Dada Tyagi of Bihar he makes his enemies squirm and bend before they enter his kingdom. 

Of course, it’s the father son duo Akhandanand "Kaleen bhaiya" Tripathi and Munna (enacted by Pankaj Tripathi and Divyendu) who steal the thunder. Tripathi with his restrained, well calibrated act is in top form. Just a twitch here, a quiver there, a slight hunch of the shoulders and he displays menace without even once raising his voice or gaali galauj. If you have a problem with the abusive language, the director, writer remind a lot more (than foul language) is wrong with our world. And say so through Munna who is rather peeved that in world full of greater depravities, all, his partner is concerned about is his lingo. 

Divyendu with his seemingly over the top act does not become a caricature at all. Rather his Munna catapults him into a new league. Rasika is competent. Ali Fazal this time around, les brawn and more brain even bit of heart is incredibly impressive and Shweta Tripathi despite the impassive look on her face conveys what she intends to. In one of the scenes she even gets to tell the man she is sleeping with, “tumhare hamare beech mein control hamesha hamare paas rahega.” 

It’s not just Golu who is control of her emotions. The director reins it all, keeping his viewers charged up, letting your adrenaline flow and takes you en route yet another thrilling ride. Slick and topped with raw appeal of hinterland. Besides, the makers may delude you into thinking Season 2 is a tamer version, take our word it gets as messy and bloody. The bad-lands are just as bad and good enough to nearly make you binge watch the ten episode series streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Rarely does a second season match the expectations and hype of the previous one. Mirzapur 2 does tie up all characters and subplots and ends satisfyingly all the while leaving a window nay a big wide door open for a third outing. And daresay we wouldn’t mind yet another round of duel between the survivors of the second season.