(Crisp) Movie Review: MIRZAPUR THE MOVIE by FENIL SETA

Mirzapur The Movie is nothing short of a risk. Usually, films based on series are continuations of the most recent season. Instead, its story is set between Episodes 6 and 7 of the first season. Hence, it cannot contradict or affect what happens subsequently in the series. Thankfully, the makers take great care of it and, at the same time, deliver an entertaining product. The action is minimal, but the confrontational scenes up the impact. The last 20 minutes are exciting. On the flipside, though the film doesn’t bore, it does get stretched. Babban lacks a strong motive to get into the fight arena. Most of the actresses don’t have much to do. Also, its timeline makes the film predictable, while the songs fail to entice. Pankaj Tripathi delivers a supreme performance, followed by Ali Fazal, who showcases his massiest avatar to date. Divyenndu is too good and shines in the emotional scenes as well. Jitendra Kumar effortlessly fits into Bablu’s role. Ravi Kishan is superb and his fans won’t be disappointed as he’s projected heroically. Pramod Pathak has limited screen time but is memorable and raises the most laughs. Sheeba Chaddha and Rasika Dugal leave a mark. Sonal Chauhan looks stunning and proves with her performance that she deserves to be seen more. Satendra Soni (Chandu Puncture) is the surprise of the film. Abhishek Banerjee, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Shaji Choudhary (Maqbool), Anangsha Biswas (Zarina), Sushant Singh (Bhairav Singh Karnawat), Rajesh Tailang (Ramakant Pandit) and Mohitt Maalik (Birju Lohar) are decent. Shweta Tripathi (Golu) and Shriya Pilgaonkar (Sweety) are impressive but don’t have much to do. Harshita Gaur (Dimpy) is wasted. All in all, Mirzapur The Movie has some limitations but overall turns out to be an entertaining fare.

My rating – *** ½ out of 5!