Several popular shows have buckled under the curse of the second season. As the much-awaited second edition of Mirzapur is set to drop online on October 23, bringing the weight of expectations with it, Ali Fazal — who plays Guddu in the crime thriller — is grateful that fans have patiently waited for over two years for the series. "I hadn't imagined this kind of love. I started feeling bad because the second season got significantly delayed because of the pandemic, but finally, we are arriving," exclaims the actor.

The Amazon Prime Video offering, which traces the rampant lawlessness in the Uttar Pradesh town, has often been critiqued for its excessive violence. Even as he acknowledges that the Gurmmeet Singh-directed venture has more than its fair share of guns and gore, Fazal notes that the story is merely being honest to its milieu. "A lot of people have spoken to me about how the show treats its women or how it depicts a part of society. But one needs to understand that the story is showing a particular region in our country where such things have happened at some point."