Mirzapur returns with a second season almost two years after it first aired. In case you have forgotten what happened in the first season since then, the show opens with a detailed recap before diving straight into what looks like the end of a climactic fight, with Guddu (Ali Fazal) tipping over a jeep with a trapped Munna (Divyendu) in it. It soon appears that this was a dream: Munna has just regained consciousness at the hospital for the first time since he was shot five times during the shootout at the Gorakhpur wedding.
In the meanwhile, Guddu Pandit is also recovering from his grave injuries. The memories of his brother and pregnant wife’s deaths are still fresh in his mind. He, along with Golu Gupta (Shweta Tripathi Sharma) embark on a revenge quest, which also happens to involve taking control of Mirzapur’s criminal empire. Sharad Shukla (Anjum Sharma) is also looking for revenge, but he opts to take a methodical approach, getting close to Munna and subtly goading him against his father, Kaaleen Bhaia (Pankaj Tripathi). Then there’s the Tyagi family in Siwan, headed by Dadda (Liliput Faruqui) and flanked by his twin sons Bharat and Shatrughan (Vijay Verma), who sell second hand cars and also deal with liquor on the side. Kaaleen Bhaia also vies for political aspirations this season, as he looks to strengthen alliances with the current CM before an election, who sends his daughter Madhuri (Isha Talwar) on the campaign trail with Munna.
Mirzapur takes a more controlled approach this time, focusing on both the main story threads as well as other smaller sub-plots, such as the bubbling romance between Dimpy (Harshita Kaur) and Robin (Priyanshu Painyuli), who is a shrewd off-the-books middleman for people who are looking to invest their black money discreetly. Ali Fazal gets to take his character to interesting places, while still exploring his softer side as he strikes up a gradual romance with Shabnam, the now widowed bride from the wedding. Shweta Tripathi Sharma gets to portray a more hardened Golu, who hides her pain and later seems to revel in it. Pankaj Tripathi is as game as ever, marrying his calm demeanor with his frustrations around his son, Munna. Kulbhushan Kharbanda still holds a commanding presence, his quietness belying his voracious sexual appetite as well as his keen mind for power politics.
Showrunner Puneet Krishna and writer Vineet Krishna pack the show with plenty of colorful language as well as greed and treachery. Almost every character is playing their own game. The relationships in this season are also either genuine and sweet, such as the one between Dimpy and Robin, or complicated and one-sided, such as when Golu propositions Shatrughan for no-strings-attached sex. Not all characters are flawed or morally grey: Ramakanth Pandit
The women of Mirzapur have to deal with patriarchy in all of its forms, but they get their ways with boldness and a little maneuvering of their own. It doesn’t always manage to stick its landing in this regard: for instance, Golu is firmly in control of her dalliances with Shatrughan, but her sudden focus on sadomasochism feels unearned.
The second season isn’t as outright fun as its predecessor, but there are important developments happening throughout the season.
It’s not exactly a slow burn, but more of a deliberate pace that puts all the chess pieces in position for the climax. Of course, the show’s crassness and weird fixation on sex make it hard to call it cerebral by any means. It feels like a mix of classic Bollywood crime dramas with a more modern flair. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly a sprawling epic like the Gangs of Wasseypur duology or the more classic Godfather trilogy, which the show emulates in one scene. Still, the show remains entertaining. For those who are missing Sacred Games, this show can fill the void in the meanwhile.
Overall, Mirzapur season two advances the story in exciting directions and lays the foundation for what looks to be a very different season three. There is a very Game of Thrones-esque scene in the finale with Guddu taking a ‘throne’, but whether or not he will be able to defend it remains to be seen.