With Dussehra just around the corner, Amazon Prime Video decided to give its viewers the festive treat they had been expecting, earlier than usual. Scheduled to premiere on 23rd October 2020, Prime Video literally created a ‘bhaukaal’ among netizens when it released Mirzapur S2 a few hours before the scheduled time. After Inside Edge and Breathe, Mirzapur is Amazon Prime Video’s third original fictional web series in India. Spoilers ahead!
RECAP
Akin to the first season, Mirzapur 2 succeeds in bringing back the cycle of grit, gore and gaalis which has always made its viewers rejoice. Wounded and driven by the cold surge of vengeance, the show begins with Munna (Divyendu Sharma) and Guddu (Ali Fazal) having nightmares of being killed by each other. The former lies disoriented in a hospital bed, while the latter is on the run with his sister-in-law Golu (Shweta Tripathi) and sister Dimpy (Harshita Gaur). It picks up where the previous season had left off, just after the Gorakhpur wedding massacre where Guddu’s pregnant wife Sweety (Shriya Pilgaonkar) and brother Bablu (Vikrant Massey) are murdered.
The reticent yet sharp-witted don Akhandanand Tripathi aka Kaleen Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi) still has the amoral town of Mirzapur in his grip. He is struggling to keep his impulsive son Munna in check, who is eager to grab hold of the throne of Mirzapur as soon as possible. Even Munna’s grandfather (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) does not think he is ready for the throne yet. While his mother Beena (Rasika Dugal) finds her own way to deal with the domestic struggles within the Tripathi household.
PLOT DEVELOPMENTS
Munna’s raw humour and Kaleen’s subtle one-liners once again become the highlights of the show. Guddu Pandit, though wounded in the leg and out of action, continues to extend his muscle power. He discovers his Bonnie within Gajagamini aka Golu Gupta. His bearded look adds up to his image as an avenger. Golu, on the other hand, learns how to shoot and blends perfectly within the goons of Mirzapur.
We also get to see more of Jaunpur’s Sharad Shukla (Anjum Sharma). Cool as a cucumber, but cunning where it counts, Sharad decides to bide his time. Shaking hands with Munna, he lurks in the shadows and inconspicuously strains the relations between the Tripathi household. As we wait on Guddu to heal quickly and join the violence, the urgency of season 2 heightens immensely in the fourth episode as Munna, Guddu and Sharad face off in a brawl. You cannot be human if you stopped right there and saved the next episode for later.
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Apart from the Pandits, Tripathis and Shuklas, season two also welcomes the Tyagis. Dadda Tyagi (Lilliput) owns a huge business of carjacking in Siwan along with his twin sons Bharat and Shatrughan Tyagi (Vijay Varma). Even in this fourth patriarchal household, we hear the echoes of a father-son enmity and female subjugation. The Tyagis pose another threat to the Tripathis’ power and add up to the tense dynamics in the show. Despite the addition of this element, one often finds a certain redundancy in the introduction of this new family. Golu’s relationship with the younger son spices up the series further. The fiasco caused by this development in the Tyagi household in episode nine also leaves many questions unanswered.
While the patriarchal men boast upon their machismo, season two allows a lot of scope for its women too. With a subplot which appeared only as a TRP inducer in the first season, Beena’s domestic struggle with the virile Bauji comes full-circle in season two. She’s one of those characters in the show, you just can’t help but love. Not only does she brutally escapes from Bauji’s clutches, but also finds a way to subvert the Tripathis with Guddu.
Madhuri Yadav Tripathi (Isha Talwar) emerges as an underdog too. She, very slyly, takes over as the CM and rises to power. On that note, her relationship with Munna creates a softer spot in our hearts for him. But unfortunately, the trajectory of the show does not leave enough room for the two. In contrast to these two, we have Golu and young Tyagi, who are anything but mushy. Had it not been for their relationship in the latter episodes, I don’t think we could’ve differentiated Golu from the Mirzapur goons.
Enter Robin (Priyanshu Painyuli) with a Saul Goodman vibe. You may not love him as much but he has his moments. Falling for Guddu’s sister Dimpy and revealing all of his financial dealings to his father, Robin becomes instrumental in connecting the dots within the subplots. But to no avail. Despite Ramakant Pandit (Rajesh Tailang) teaming up with Senior Superintendent of Police Maurya (Amit Sial), their crusade for justice does little in the lawless land of Mirzapur where the only rule is that there are no rules.
SEASON 3 AND THE GAPS TO BE FILLED
Even though Munna had it coming, hardly anyone can deny that he is a charmer. Creators Karan Anshuman and Puneet Krishna better have some tricks up their sleeve. Because a season without Munna will be very hard to deliver. They surely did pierce our hearts when they killed him off, just after his relations with his wife and father start improving. Sharad Shukla is yet to play his cards as he continues to play a passive role till the end. Guddu ascends the throne as expected with Beena just in tow. Viewers are yet to be sure about the father of her child. We are shown that the young Tyagi is killed off in the fiasco at their household. This is also a manoeuvre which has not been delivered completely. Wounded even more with Munna’s death, it’s palpable the viewers will be keeping a keen eye on Madhuri as well.
Now extended to the political domain and outside Mirzapur, season three has a lot of scope to fill these gaps. But to be honest, the creators could’ve kept the show to a minimal. Instead of introducing so many new subplots, they could’ve maintained the focus on Munna and Guddu alone. Now with new elements in the fore, season three is somewhat of a stretch. The cycle of violence and revenge is never-ending.
