Archive · 4 Sep 2026
Mirzapur: The Movie Revives Nostalgia Amid a High-Stakes Power Struggle
Mirzapur: The Movie takes place in 2018, during the middle of the first season.
Kaleen Bhaiya controls Mirzapur through legal and illegal businesses.
His son Munna wants his father’s love and approval.
Guddu and Bablu work for Kaleen and are important to his power.
A new rival named Babban Bhaiya, or Babban Babua, arrives to challenge Kaleen.
The movie shows people fighting for power, loyalty and love.
It brings back many familiar actors and characters from the series.
Reviewers especially praise the performances, action and humour.
They also say the story can feel predictable and that the ending becomes chaotic.
Set in 2018 during the first season, the film returns to Mirzapur’s earlier power struggle.
Kaleen Bhaiya, Munna, Guddu and Bablu remain central to the conflict over Mirzapur.
Ravi Kishan’s Babban Bhaiya, also called Babban Babua, enters as a new challenger seeking the throne.
Reviews praise the cast, action, humour, music and portrayal of heartland dynamics.
Criticisms include limited roles for women, reduced suspense and a chaotic, predictable climax.
- Who
- Kaleen Bhaiya, Munna, Guddu Pandit, Bablu Pandit and rival Babban Bhaiya, played by Pankaj Tripathi, Divyenndu, Ali Fazal, Jeetendra Kumar and Ravi Kishan.
- What
- A film extension of the Mirzapur series about a struggle for control of Mirzapur.
- When
- The story is set in 2018, during the middle of the first season.
- Where
- Mirzapur and the wider Purvanchal region, with a continuing power tussle involving neighbouring Jaunpur.
- Why
- Babban seeks to eliminate Kaleen Bhaiya and rule Mirzapur, while Munna seeks validation and the other characters pursue power and loyalty.
What the Reviews Praise
What the Reviews Criticize
Nostalgia and familiarity
What the Reviews Praise
Returning to the first-season setting reunites beloved characters and gives fans the pleasure of seeing Munna, Guddu, Kaleen and others together again.
What the Reviews Criticize
The film relies heavily on what audiences already know and can feel like a nostalgic extension of the series rather than a fully justified new story.
Story and suspense
What the Reviews Praise
The film adds Babban as a new challenger and offers a fresh perspective on power, greed, love, validation and brotherhood.
What the Reviews Criticize
Because viewers know the characters’ later trajectories, the plot is predictable and loses some of its surprise.
Ensemble and representation
What the Reviews Praise
The performances of Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Divyenndu, Jeetendra Kumar and Ravi Kishan are widely praised, while the larger scale and action suit cinema audiences.
What the Reviews Criticize
The women’s roles are considered too limited, with the reviews specifically noting that several actresses, including Rasika Duggal, are underused.
- Film
- Mirzapur: The Movie
- Director
- Gurmeet Singh
- Writer
- Puneet Krishna
- Story setting
- 2018, during the middle of Mirzapur’s first season
- New challenger
- Babban Bhaiya, also referred to as Babban Babua, played by Ravi Kishan
- Central conflict
- A fight for the throne and control of Mirzapur
- Main criticisms
- Limited roles for women, reduced suspense, and a chaotic, predictable climax
