Mirzapur series is about the brutal battle to control the power and ill-gotten money of the so-called Bahubali–log (criminal strongmen) of the Uttar Pradesh (UP) state, North India.
It is a fictional tale set in a real place in Uttar Pradesh. However, in India, most of us have heard innumerable stories about how the Bahubali-log controls the levers of power. These strongmen brazenly use crimes to control and dominate almost all the regions of Uttar Pradesh state.
So, who is considered the Bahubali in India?
Well, Bāhubali refers to political figures who possess “dhanbal” (wealth), “janbal” (people’s support) and “buddhibal” (political acumen) in addition to their capacity for violence.
This term is sourced from the Scroll’s article about the same.
Synopsis (official summary) of the Indian series about UP’s Bahubalis
The iron-fisted Akhandanand Tripathi (Pankaj Tripathi) is a millionaire carpet exporter and the mafia don of Mirzapur. His son, Munna (Divyenndu), is an unworthy, power-hungry heir who will stop at nothing to inherit his father’s legacy. An incident at a wedding procession forces him to cross paths with Ramakant Pandit (Rajesh Tailang), an upstanding lawyer, and his sons, Guddu (Ali Fazal) and Bablu (Vikrant Massey).
In Mirzapur, revenge runs darker than blood. There is one title, the King of Mirzapur, but many takers. Munna (Divyenndu) feels invincible after escaping from the wedding massacre. Guddu (Ali Fazal) and Golu Gupta ~ Gajgamini Gupta (Shweta Tripathi) are nowhere to be found. Akhandanand’s (Pankaj Tripathi) ambitions soar as he eyes political power. Going beyond Purvanchal to the power corridors of Lucknow and the streets of Bihar, there’s one question – who will rule Mirzapur?
Spoiler Free review of the Mirzapur (S1/2018 & S2/2020) series
A pioneering series about the world of criminals and politics
It is an Indian crime thriller series that is considered one of the pioneering series to take an unfiltered gaze into the much-talked world of Babubali-log (criminal strongmen) and Rajneeti (Politics) in the UP state. In other words, this story is located in the heartland of India. This place is notorious for its brazen lawlessness and the criminalization of politics.
Many political commentators in India have talked about the chaos and anarchy prevailing in the said state. Yet, we have never witnessed a series dealing with this fascinating topic, realistically.
Then, this series came in November 2018 and since then it has tried to pull down the veil from the face of the criminalization of politics. At that time, like a breath of fresh air, this series had many novelty factors. However, since then many series (set in Uttar Pradesh and other states of North India) have come up with similar story-telling styles.
Criminals, gangsters, police and politicians dominate
But with its gripping storyline, this series remains an original and quintessential series that brought together the dangerous worlds of criminals and gangsters with that of police and politicians in the big bad land of Uttar Pradesh. Many people have said Uttar Pradesh is unofficially the proverbial rough wild-wild West of India. The opening scene (and many other scenes too) of this series proves just that.
Usually, weddings are supposed to be happy occasions. However, it is not in this show. In the opening scene of this series, we witness a most shocking incident. A shooting happens and someone is killed in broad daylight by the members of the Babhubali family, so to speak. Thus, this horrific and shameful event at a crowded wedding procession with so many eyewitnesses leads to a series of events that allow us into the lives of families and their members in this lawless city.
Has amazingly talented cast members, other aspects & the conclusion
This series has amazingly talented cast members – Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Shweta Tripathi, Rasika Dugal, Divyendu Sharma, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Harshita Gaur, Shaji Chaudhary, Rajesh Tailang, Sheeba Chaddha, Anjum Sharma, Shriya Pilgaonkar, etc. All of them with their acting calibre have brought alive this interesting world where criminal, political and business ventures thrive.
Its cinematography has portrayed the raw beauty and the unique lifestyle of a small town in UP compellingly and engagingly. Besides, it has well-choreographed action scenes.
An interesting bit of information about this series – Season one started with a wedding scene and ended with another wedding scene. Both of these scenes prove that marriage is not really for weak-hearted in the U.P.
This series is worth watching, as many of its ambitious characters are willing to go to extreme lengths to grab the levers of power in this dreaded town of Uttar Pradesh.
Mirzapur Season 3 News Update:- According to the buzz, its season 3 is likely to be released in the 2023 year. Howver, there has been no annoucment about its date and month of release, so far. With only four months left in 2023, viz., September, October, November and December; the time of its release is narrowing down. We think, its release will be announced soon, unless there are official hurdles.
Ratings of the Indian series about UP’s Bahubalis
| FM’s rating | 4.25/5 |
Poster of the Mirzapur (S1/2018) Series
Key details of the Mirzapur (S1 & S2) Series
| Genre | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller, Suspense |
| Original language | Hindi (India) |
| About Title | Mirzapur is a town in Uttar Pradesh state, India. |
| Age-Certification | S1 – A (18+) S2 – UA (16+) |
| Creators | Puneet Krishna & Karan Anshuman |
| Seasons & Episodes | Season One (1) – 2018 – Nine (9) Episodes Season Two (2) – 2020 – Ten (10) Episodes |
| Cast | Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Shweta Tripathi, Rasika Dugal, Divyendu Sharma, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Harshita Gaur, Shaji Chaudhary, Rajesh Tailang, Sheeba Chaddha, Anjum Sharma, Shriya Pilgaonkar, etc. |
| Taglines | Become what you fear (S1) |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
Trailer of the Mirzapur (S1/2018) Series
Please note: This series is based on a fictional story. Although, a portion of this tale draws its inspirations from the real-life incidents that has taken place in the Northern states of India.
Poster of the Mirzapur (S2/2020) Series
News Update about actor Ali Fazal:- He acted in Hollywood movie and did a good acting job in it too, the Kandahar movie.
Ratings of the Mirzapur (S2/2020) Series
| FM’s rating | 4.15/5 |
Trailer by the Mirzapur (S2/2020) Series
Focus:- criminalisation of politics – reality check
We are sharing an excerpt from an article that talks about the criminalisation of politics and this show.
“From Bihar to Uttar Pradesh, there are sociological reasons why gangs thrive. Lawlessness and joblessness are endemic and industrial growth stunted. A successful don begins by executing a few murders for a price, possibly to grab land, starts getting Public Works Department contracts to build roads and provides the muscle for a politician. This continues until the don becomes a politician himself and joins whichever party is in power.“
Saba Naqvi: Does ‘Mirzapur’ defame UP? If you’d met the dons I have, you’d know how bad it really is | Scroll.in
Read about other series and movies that subtly (and not so subtly) raise the contemporary issue of the criminalisation of politics in India. These series and movies are about such happenings in Uttar Pradesh. However, unlike the series and movie mentioned below, this series has the story of the Bahubali-Log (criminal strongmen) in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Paatal Lok series, Kaalkoot series, and Kathal movie.
So, many times, art imitates life.
Awards won by this Indian series about UP’s Bahubalis
| Filmfare OTT Awards – 2021 Winner Critics Choice Award Best Series Season 2 |
| IWM Digital Awards – 2019 Winner Popular Award – Most Popular Web Series IWM Digital Awards – 2019 Winner Jury Award – Best Cinematography in a Web Series – Sanjay Kapoor |
| Indian Television Academy Awards, India – 2021 Winner Technical Award Best Dialogue (OTT) Puneet Krishna, Vineet Krishna – Season 2 Indian Film and Television Awards, India – 2021 Winner OTT Award Best Supporting Actor in a Series – Divyendu Sharma Indian Film and Television Awards, India – 2021 Winner OTT Award Best Supporting Actress in a Series – Rasika Dugal |
Featured & Other Images: Mirzapur | Amazon Prime Video.