Mirapur

I write this review after watching all 9 episodes and reading god awful critic reviews about how predictable the story line is and how gore and violence doesn't let it fly. Don't listen to any of the critics on this for sure because this show is anything but predictable.I myself am an avid fan of cinema and have watched stuff across many genre and can testify that this is a new and original show with characters, dialogues and storyline to die for.Every review that you read will praise Pankaj Tripathi, even the bad ones and he deserves it but i guarantee you that have never seen 'Ali Fazal' like in this show and for me he stole every second of his presence and even scenes with Pankaj Tripathi.

A lot of people might argue about which was the better season and has better engagement. Trust me, second season has more storyline than just violence and sex. Everything is well written and well executed. Though you might feel that the twists and turns are somehow predictable at some point but it has created a strong base for the upcoming season.

Disclaimer: I am from Uttar Pradesh, who lives in Bangalore. Except for acid attack, they have covered everything in the underbelly of Uttar Pradesh.

I have given it 10 start rating. Why? Because I could connect way more than its other state viewers. As game of throne, takes its inspiration from medieval Europe, this series takes its inspiration from Uttar Pradesh of 90's and early 20's (Notice the name of CM brothers for reference :P).

Now, I have grown up in that kind of environment. But, is there any form of art which has reflected it succinctly. Omkara or Ganges of Wasseypur came close, but even they tried to tone it down a bit, and acceptable for silver screen. Producing a content for digital medium, has an edge that, they didn't have to be politically correct, just to please people - and thus tinker with the spirit of the story.

That perhaps was the best part, and I watched all the episode in a single session. A pure nostalgia. From the comfort of my room here in bangalore, I was reminiscing through my childhood. Yes Uttar Pradesh is violent. Uttar Pradesh values power. The meaning of word "Bahubali" is different there. But, Uttar Pradesh is not dull state. There is a cohesion amongst all, which makes that state lively, vibrant, and politically charged. A spectacle for someone who is watching it all from a comfortable distance - not too close to get your hand burnt in it.

And this series, gave you that very experience. Keep up the good work.

Question: How good is this series? Answer: I finished the series in one marathon session of 7 hours. That good!

Question: Apart from a few well-known names, is the cast worthy of justifying their role(s)? Answer: You would be stunned by the acting. The actors are as good as the script. There are more number of pivotal characters than there were in "Sacred Games". You would be pleasantly surprised that all of them have been given enough screen-time and none of them are unimportant. What an ensemble! Wow!

Question: Is it better than Sacred Games? Answer: First of all, we MUST NOT compare the two series. "Crime", "Thriller", "Action" are the common genre between these two series. However, Mirzapur has done tremendous justice to it's script and carved out a niche space for itself. I had watched Sacred Games just a week before Mirzapur and after reading the panning reviews of Mirzapur, I decided not to watch it. One of my close friends - Sasi, told me to forget about the review(s) and give the first episode a try. I would like to quote him here: "It is far better than the number of stars the critics have awarded." HE WAS DAMN RIGHT. Sacred Games has used the terms of ancient Indian history (or mythology, whichever word you would like to use) to narrate the story. Mirzapur doesn't have that level of narration - Yes! ... But you would be gravely mistaken to take this point against Mirzapur. Each and every episode is gripping with sometimes gory and sometimes an undertone of humor which would never let you feel enervated. All the actors have done a phenomenal job. The women have been given lots of freedom. The documentary(ies) which BauJi keeps watching frequently, has 100% relevance in the context of the episode and the series. Everyone knows about Pankaj Tripathi's prowess. He doesn't need further introduction (nor do the others), but I would like to mention Guddu (Ali Fazal) as a revolutionary character. The way he has portrayed his passion for body-building, his dumb-wit, his self-assured and self-serving bias; it will blow the viewer away. After watching a few episodes, I had started to wonder if someone can be really so eccentric and so blind due to self-obsession. He just cares about how to live through the current moment in time, nothing else. In my humble opinion, I think that every character is a shade of different level of narcissism. Just visualize, how could a writer conceive the idea of so many narcissistic characters. ;-) If I ever meet Guddu Bhaiyya (Ali), Munna Bhaiyya (Divyendu Sharma) and Bablu Bhaiyya (Vikrant Massey), it would be extremely difficult to imagine them as a different person than their portrayal.

I would like to quote my friend again: This series is far better than the ratings you would come across on various critics' web pages.

The only reason I wrote this first-ever review on IMDb is because I could not digest the admonishing and panning of a beautiful work done by these fine actors and writers (and everyone involved in the project).

My rating for the entire series dropped significantly after watching season 3. Season 1 was top notch, Season 2 was watchable. Season 3 is utter trash with extremely boring and inconsequential sub plots. Pankaj tripathi has no presence, Shwetha bores you to death - she's the most unfit for the role in the entire series. With the unforgettable bad boy Munna's death in Season 2, macho man's Guddus role is wasted with petty scenes. Jail scenes with Guddus father are worth skipping entirely. Sarad Shukla character is total BS, he neither knows to act nor his role is interesting. The never ending CM/ political scenes have no meaning whatsoever. Last but not the least in terms of criticism, is the mega boring Bihari family with twins and a dwarf father make you hate this series so much that you longer want to wait for any more seasons ever. My rating was 9/10 until season 2. Season 3 is just a disappointment after waiting for so many years. We can call this once gem of a series good bye.