If Mirzapur started as a blazing fire, and its sequel maintained a lethal intensity, Mirzapur 3 now smoulders like banked embers, flaring up sporadically rather than consistently.
The battleground has expanded across the entire region, with Western factions demanding more than their Eastern counterparts are willing to concede. The series emphasizes higher stakes, but the “Who Will Be The New Bahubali” game feels tired, making season 3 less about “bhaukaal” and more about boredom.
Since its inception in 2018, Mirzapur introduced us to a fictional world steeped in the ambiance of the real city, with its blend of carpets and crime, and its central figure, Akhandanand Tripathi aka Kaleen Bhaiyya (Pankaj Tripathi), and his troublesome son Munna (Divyenndu), whose ambitions far exceed his capabilities.
Season 2 (2020) saw the Tripathis’ dominance challenged from all sides, both within their opulent home—where Kaleen Bhaiyya’s discontented young wife Beena (Rasika Dugal) resides—and outside, where Guddu Pandit (Ali Fazal) and Golu (Shweta Tripathi Sharma) emerge as formidable players in the ruthless game of power and survival.
Season 3, penned by Apurva Dhar Badgaiyann, Avinash Singh Tomar, Vijay Narayan Verma, and Avinash Singh, begins with a lengthy reintroduction to its characters and their current situations—an understandable necessity given the gap since the last season. However, familiarity soon breeds complacency as the ten episodes, each running 45-50 minutes, unfold without much innovation.
For a crime thriller reliant on shock value and brutality, the challenge lies in sustaining momentum. Season 3 settles into a predictable rhythm, punctuated by occasional bursts of violence amidst mundane moments of tea and conversation.
Without revealing spoilers, a few unexpected deaths attempt to inject drama, but the novelty wears thin. Despite Ali Fazal’s compelling performance as Guddu, other characters, including Golu, struggle through repetitive storylines and verbose dialogue. Rasika Dugal’s Beena Bhabhi, a character with untapped potential, is confined to domestic strife rather than showcasing her cunning.
Political undertones briefly surface amidst the lawlessness, with characters like Isha Talwar’s crafty chief minister and Sharad Shukla (Anjum Sharma), positioning themselves within the power structures of Mirzapur and Lucknow. However, these elements lack the biting edge needed to elevate the narrative.
Dialogue-heavy and reliant on traditional mob gatherings, Season 3 misses the strategic machinations of Kaleen Bhaiyya and the volatile energy Divyenndu’s Munna brought to earlier seasons. As the series concludes, one can’t help but yearn for a revitalized Season 4 to recapture the original fervor.
Mirzapur Season 3, with its sprawling cast led by Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, and Rasika Dugal, attempts to expand its universe but struggles to maintain the gripping intensity of its predecessors.
