Mirzapur Web Review - Cliched tale of gore and goons

Mirzapur

Mirzapur
U/A: Crime thriller
Director: Gurmmeet Singh
Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Vikrant Massey, Shweta Tripathi, Divyenndu
Rating:

Amazon Prime's latest outing, Mirzapur, from the stable of Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, is not an easy show to watch. It is consistently disturbing, mind-numbingly gory with elaborately orchestrated action scenes that spare no explicit detail. The milieu may be similar to Anurag Kashyap's Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012), but writers Vineet Krishna, Karan Anshuman and Puneet Krishna are unable to imbue the narrative with vibrancy, dark humour or the moody violence that one expects of mafioso movies.

The characters, thus, are clichés who are incapable of surprising you. It's a parallel universe where harboured vendettas run the proceedings, but a few episodes down, it is tough to keep sight of the reason why bullets are being pumped into people. So much of the killing is shamelessly added for effect. The same holds true for the sex scenes that do nothing for the narrative.

As the trailer suggests, the story - set in a town of Uttar Pradesh - traces the lives of two brothers, Guddu (Ali Fazal) and Bablu Pandit (Vikrant Massey), who are caught in the clutches of a gangster, Kaleen bhai (Pankaj Tripathi), after their father takes up a case against the don's son. To be fair, the writers establish the setting with studied effort and relevant back stories. Despite their attention to detail, the show seems to be lacking in the inventiveness of writing.

The characters are painted in broad strokes - brutal gangster, conniving rivals, aimless young brats intoxicated with power, and bored housewives seeking some fun. The prism through which the story is envisioned lacks any inkling of fresh thinking. The plot's predictability exerts unwarranted pressure on the cast, who enamour you with their effortless portrayals. The ever dependable Tripathi leads the pack, making his Kaleen Bhai menacing.

Watch Mirzapur Trailer

Fazal is in fine form, and along with the infallible Massey, walks off with the best scenes. Divyenndu plays the hot-headed Munna effectively with desired earnestness. The ladies, however, have little to do, but it is Rasika Duggal who adds flavour to her layered part of a bored housewife. Shriya Pilgaonkar and Shweta Tripathi are adequate but don't make much of an impression. The fatal flaw here is that the makers are overtly smitten by their story and get over-indulgent frequently. Mirzapur could have been an exhausting watch, but the stellar ensemble might entice you to watch it.

Also read: Shweta Tripathi shoots for a masturbation scene in Mirzapur

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates