Mumbai, India – Director Gurmmeet Singh and writer Puneet Krishna, the creative architects of the Mirzapur universe, are riding high on the success of Mirzapur: The Movie. The film, which has set the box office ablaze with the third biggest opening for a Hindi film this year, is a prequel-style story set during Season 1, bringing back iconic characters like Munna and Bablu. In a spoiler-filled conversation, the pair unpacked the risky leap from series to cinema, the challenge of keeping fans hooked when they already know who lives and dies, and the creative decisions behind the film’s success.
“We kept saying that we might know the show and the world, but we have to keep looking at it as if we are making it for the first time,” Singh said. The idea for a film came after Season 2, when producer Ritesh Sidhwani suggested the world had film potential. Krishna returned with the idea of going “horizontal, and expand the world” rather than linear. The film introduces Babban (Ravi Kishan) as a catalyst, with the rivalry between Guddu, Bablu, and Munna as the core conflict. The casting of Jitendra Kumar as Bablu, replacing Vikrant Massey, was a conscious decision to avoid imitation, with Krishna noting that “Guru Bhai really wanted him to play it as Jitendra Kumar coming in.”
The film’s most enjoyable decision was putting Guddu and Munna on the same side, forcing them to join hands in the desert. Singh noted that “that subversion is now what our world has become.” The filmmakers also discussed the creative violence, with Krishna revealing a “folder” of ways to kill people without guns, using scissors, forks, and even a sewing machine.
Must Read: Now Playing: 5 Songs Munna Bhaiya Would Have on Repeat from ‘Mirzapur’
The post-credit scene of Beena shooting Birju was described as “extraordinarily melancholy.” When asked about the future, Singh said, “Mirzapur will come back. In what shape and what form, that’s for the powers that be to decide.” Krishna added that a fourth season or another film could both be incredibly exciting, especially with Munna on the big screen against Guddu.
