Review: Now in its third season, this much anticipated and acclaimed political thriller starts off from the point where the last season ended. So, if you haven’t seen the first two, don’t even bother getting started with this one. And, if you have enjoyed the previous two seasons, then we recommend binge-watching them all over again to refresh your memory and enjoy this new season too. Because clearly, the recap isn’t nearly enough to get you up to speed with the intense rivalries and backstabbing between the power-hungry people of Uttar Pradesh’s most diabolical town Mirzapur. With the town’s biggest rabble-rouser Munna (Divyendu Sharma) dead, the battlefield is now wide open and new power centres are being formed. Kaleen Bhaiyya (Pankaj Tripathi) has also been grievously injured in the surprise shootout by Guddu (Ali Fazal) and Golu (Shweta Tripathi). Sharad Shukla (Anjum Sharma) sees an opportunity to rise to power by making a very dangerous move of trying to rescue Kaleen Bhaiyya. Meanwhile, Madhuri (Isha Talwar) continues to call the shots as the Chief Minister of the state but even she has her own scores to settle. And so does Kaleen’s wife Beena (Rasika Dugal), who is nursing her old wounds and a new-born, whose father is her creepy old father-in-law (Kulbhushan Kharbanda). In almost like a parallel universe, Dadda (Lilliput) seems to have gotten over the death of one of his twins, as Bharat (Vijay Varma) has surreptitiously taken over the identity of Shatrughan (Vijay Varma), practically ending his brief love affair with Golu. Or has it? There’s a lot more mess brewing within these families and that’s pretty much what keeps unfolding throughout the ten long episodes of this season.
This one’s even slower than the previous instalment, which was slower than the first season, but this time, it’s truly the rise of the underdogs. With Munna gone and Kaleen Bhaiyya being bed-ridden, the battle to become the Bahubali of Mirzapur is squarely between Guddu and Sharad. Their rivalry is the highpoint of the show and it fuels the most intense scenes with a lot of action, blood and gore. But the focus often waivers, as there are too many characters and subplots that keep stalling the pace. For the first five episodes, the action is sporadic and the screenplay is more verbose. It’s obvious that the writers try to force every character that’s still alive into relevance but Munna’s absence is palpable. What made the show hugely interesting in the earlier seasons was the familial dynamic between the Tripathis and the toxicity within the family, apart from the dire circumstances outside their household. This is largely missing here. But that’s not to say that all is lost. The series picks up pace mid-way with the makers once again displaying enough courage to take hard decisions. From here on, almost every episode features one standout action scene that will send chills down your spine. As the fight between the characters intensifies, it leads to more twists and turns that largely makes up for the patient wait thus far.
Ali Fazal totally comes into his own in this season, giving us a delectable bad boy, whose uncontained greed for power knows no bounds. Fazal plays Guddu’s raw intensity with a lot of conviction and delivers a standout performance. Anjum Sharma shows impressive restraint as the more tactful and shrewd Sharad, who feels ready and deserving to rule the UP badland. Vijay Varma is mostly wasted in a role that is struggling to find its relevance in the mix. Pankaj Tripathi has much less to do here but makes his presence felt eventually. The women get an equal opportunity to shine this time around. Shweta Tripathi does justice to her role of Guddu, whose vulnerability has given way to raw power. Isha Talwar brings a high level of subtlety to her role of a shrewd woman politician, who knows how to exact her revenge from even the most dangerous men. Rasika Dugal is once again in her element playing the unassuming wife of Kaleen Bhaiyya, who has clearly learnt the art of blending in between some of the most cold-blooded killers. Sheeba Chaddha as Guddu’s mother is superb but we wish she had more screentime.
Once again, one might wonder how one state in India is allowed so much bloodshed without even so much as a phone call from the center. In that sense, the show remains blissfully untouched by any kind of political realism, at least in today’s times. However, what sets this season apart is the fact that there is a certain kind of method to the madness. Even as the pace falters initially, the story does reach a crescendo eventually leading to a shockingly unpredictable climax. Ultimately, with all its action-packed elements firmly in place, this latest season of Mirzapur is sure to leave you craving for more.
