Mirzapur season 2 review: fires on all cylinders but in a more controlled manner

Throw away: Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Divyenndu, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rasika Dugal, Harshita Gaur, Rajesh Tailang, Sheeba Chadha, Anjum Sharma, Vijay Varma, Amit Sial, Isha Talwar, Priyanshu Painyuli

Director: Gurmmeet Singh, Mihir Desai

Evaluation: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

Blood feuds in lawless boondocks have become fetid. Again Mirzapur S2 touches the ground while running. Manufacturers dive into their quivers and take out whatever is in it. But is it all together? Not enough.

The fight for the throne which belongs to Akhandanand Tripathi aka Kaleen Bhaiyya, despite a series of full-bodied performances, is not exactly a thrilling and heartbreaking affair. Only a die-hard fan will find the show worth the nine hours it asks for. This criticism is not.

That away, Mirzapur S2 is not a wash. Directed by Gurmmeet Singh and Mihir Desai, the show is well crafted and the Puneet Krishna and Vineet Krishna script, while relying heavily on mundane tropes, is not without its share of ups.

What it lacks is an authentic and relevant political and social context. The story, as it did in S1, takes place in an amoral vacuum. Neither the political establishment nor the police have any real say in what is to come. It’s a walk for scoffers.

Nowhere is the easy nature of construction more evident than in the way Mirzapur S2 rejects an entire electoral process. This is allegedly an election to the National Assembly – a chief minister wins the re-election and is unanimously chosen as head of government. But he and his party are the only ones in contention. No opposition exists and the heat and dust of an electoral contest remains out of focus, much like the caste dynamics the series mentions once or twice, in passing.

The inflappable Akhandanand Tripathi aka Kaleen Bhaiyya dramatically improves his game in the Amazon Prime Video crime series. While he retains a vice-like hold over the titular city’s illegal gun and opium trade, he now has his sights set on the levers of political power in Lucknow. Does the character’s wider sphere of influence give more meat to Pankaj Tripathi, who propels the series along with Ali Fazal and Divyenndu? The jury is out on it, but the actor is back in his elements, projecting firmness and threat without having to raise his voice or lift a finger.

But do the threats Kaleen Bhaiyya fights to protect her homeland and strengthen her grip on the underworld make the highly anticipated follow-up to 2018? Mirzapur more captivating? Only marginally. A key difference between the two seasons is the pace of the story. Season 2, as expected, unleashes on all cylinders, but in an infinitely more controlled manner. The tongue continues to be extremely coarse. However, the scenes of violence, even when fervently overdone, aren’t delivered just to increase the shock quotient as was often the case in S1.

The taciturn crime lord is playing for higher stakes this time around and therefore has to face more enemies inside and outside of his dysfunctional family. But the series itself, despite the additions, palpable tweaks, and improved ambitions, offers nothing more than the same. If you are a fan, you will probably love it. Otherwise, well, the show is at least technically flawless and backed by top-notch acting performances.

The battle to control the crime loot in Mirzapur turns worse with a family of car thieves beyond the borders of Uttar Pradesh – led by Dadda Tyagi (Lilliput Faruqui) from Siwan, Bihar, Bihar – joining the melee and threatening to eat in the Tripathis part of the cake. Add to that Guddu Pandit (Ali Fazal), Gajgamini ‘Golu’ Gupta (Shweta Tripathi Sharma) – the two fugitives find refuge in the drug mansion Balia, Lala (Anil George) – and Sharad Shukla from Jaunpur (Anjum Sharma, graduate a fleeting cameo in S1 has a full role) – who all have scores to settle with Kaleen Bhaiyya and her sociopathic son Munna Tripathi (Divyenndu). the Mirzapur the empire is under fire from all directions.

With so much going on in and around the Tripathi house, especially with Munna’s stepmother Beena (Rasika Dugal) going bankrupt and a new family member opening another delicate flank for the King of Mirzapur , we might have expected Mirzapur S2, a story of loyalty, betrayal, relentless machinations and constant bloodletting, to double the firepower. He struggles on this point.

The show comes to life especially when the women – a hardened Beena, a Golu seeking revenge and an ambitious Madhuri Yadav, the widowed daughter of the Chief Minister (Paritosh Sand) – break free from the shackles of patriarchy and fight. control of their own destiny no matter what. Men, for their part, plot against and with each other and prosper by unleashing chaos.

Mirzapur Season 1 had resulted in the horrific marriage massacre in Gorakhpur which left many dead and left a permanent wedge between seriously injured Guddu and his boss Kaleen Bhaiyya. A damaged right foot cannot tame Guddu a little. Likewise, Munna, who believes she never gets the respect she deserves from her father, is not softened by continued censorship. Like Guddu, Sharad, the only son of Rati Shankar Shukla, a threat that Kaleen Bhaiyya brutally eliminated in season 1, is biding his time.

Certainly some of the characters – and the actors who play them – retain their crackle. But revenge, however it is served – sizzling hot, warm, or cold – loses its sting when it takes the form of a repeating chorus. The law of diminishing returns comes into play.

Guddu’s father, Ramakant Pandit (Rajesh Tailang), is determined to bring his son’s killer to the book. Policeman R.S. Maurya (Amit Sial) forgets past humiliations and makes peace with the Tripathis. Sharad Shukla thinks it is better to precipitate all-out war against Kaleen Bhaiyya.

But that’s not where the heart of the action is. Guddu, who takes a few episodes to get back on his feet after being shot in the leg, and Golu have their jobs to do. The first has lost a brother and a beloved, the second mourns the murder of her sister.

Guddu, still on a short fuse, plots revenge not only for the death of Bablu (Vikrant Massey) but also for the murder of his pregnant partner Sweety Gupta (Shriya Pilgaonkar, who, like Massey, appears in brief flashbacks) . The latter’s sister, Golu, teams up with Guddu and transforms into a tenacious, gun-wielding Avenger.

Neither Ali Fazal nor Pankaj Tripathi is wrong. Divyenndu plays the stubborn Munna with even more poise than before. Rasika Dugal and Shweta Tripathi Sharma are both formidable as they explore the surprising arcs of their layered characters. Among the three major newcomers, Vijay Varma falls prey to fragmentary writing. But Anjum Sharma and Isha Talwar make a strong impression.

The principle that the Mirzapur the characters follow is simple: you kill one of mine, I will kill one of yours. The cycle of violence is endless – and no surprises. And it’s not finished yet. There is clearly more on the horizon. Should we be celebrating?