00:00Hi, guys. Thank you for giving time to INS. My question to all four of you is, you know, the
00:07film is now arriving on the IT platform, which actually made it a phenomenon. So does it feel like a
00:12homecoming for all of you?
00:16Yeah, of course. I mean, for us, Prime is home. It's been home for us. So very, very happy that
00:24anybody who didn't get a chance to watch it in theatres now can come and watch the film on the
00:30service. And people who have seen it in theatres, we've got extended 12 minutes for them. So there's additional goodies
00:37for everyone to come and watch. So very excited. More people can watch the film.
00:41What about you, Farhan? What do you have to say to this?
00:44No, the same, actually. Guru said it best. It's coming back home on some level. So yeah, it always feels
00:51great. And there's an audience, there's an audience who watches the film on streaming. So we'll reach out to them
00:57also through this, through it now coming on Amazon Prime.
01:01Pankar Ji, Razakamang.
01:29Pankar Ji, Razakam.
01:32The audience would, they would, they would, the fans would look a little confused because this had never happened before,
01:37right?
01:38Pankar Ji, we're making a film. But I'm so glad to know that all of them still came to the
01:42theatres. And I'm very sure that they will re-watch it.
01:45Even if we didn't have an extended cut. But now we have something to offer also.
01:49Yeah. So Farhan, as a producer, what made you feel that the Mirzapur universe had the potential to, you know,
01:57expand into a feature film? Or how do you decide when an established franchise needs a new chapter? Or where
02:03is it best to leave the legacy untouched?
02:07You know, the thing is that whenever we travel anywhere after season one and season two,
02:19There's a general excitement that you can sense when you're out and about.
02:22And I think that the kind of content in this film, the kind of writing in the series, it would
02:30work very nicely on the large screen.
02:32Because the characters are larger-than-life characters. And the more people have experienced it, they have experienced it individually,
02:38families or individuals have experienced it at home.
02:42But in a community viewing, it means a potential house. Because the kind of story, the kind of story, everything
02:52is set in the world.
02:53So Ritesh and I both felt, at the end of season two, that this is something we can consider seriously
02:59doing.
02:59It was important that we don't have for granted that the picture that people will come, they have seen the
03:06Mirzapur series of Mirzapur series.
03:07Because it should be like that those who haven't seen it, they can see it and see it and think
03:11that this is one film in our own, that we will see it again.
03:15So this was a challenge. But of course, with Puneet's writing, with Guru's helming the project, it all came together
03:24very nicely.
03:25But we had a belief in the fact that it could work as a film pretty early on.
03:30Also Gurmeet, what is more difficult? Maintaining the identity of a successful franchise or finding the courage to reinvent it?
03:38My God. Actually, never thought about it till you asked this question.
03:49Fortunately, I think the good part about Mirzapur is that the scripts are generally so challenging.
03:56I mean, as a director, I'm talking about that, you know, there's so much for us to do and work
04:01on that the other things then, you know, take care of themselves.
04:04So I don't think we need to worry about any of the ancillary things. Main thing is that if you
04:10can do justice to what's written on paper, can we translate the fun that you get while reading a Mirzapur
04:16script that comes in?
04:17Can that be translated onto screen? I think that's just like the main task at hand.
04:21If that happens, the rest of the things are happening. And plus the fact that we all have done so
04:27much work in this time.
04:28So whenever Mirzapur shoots, it's like, it's like fun. It's like going on a picnic. So everyone's very excited to
04:34go on that shoot.
04:35So I think that's just like a fun thing. It's not even like stressful.
04:39When we go to Mirzapur shoot, it's something that we really enjoy. We look forward to it. And I think
04:45just that translates onto the screen.
04:47You know, what I love about Mirzapur is Beena. Beena is amazing. She is strong. She's feminine. She's amazing. She's
04:54everything that a woman should be, I feel.
04:56You know, but Ratika, according to you, Beena has managed to hold her own, you know, hold her own inner
05:02world dominated by men who equate power with violence and physical strength.
05:06Do you think that somewhere like she is actually one of the strongest players in Mirzapur and what makes her
05:13power different from the others?
05:16Like in comparison to men.
05:19I think that she has, she's very, very complex, which is so exciting. I had never read a woman like
05:27this before.
05:28And Puneet has done a fantastic job of writing this character. And I feel only he can write her, you
05:34know, and I'm so excited to see what he has to offer for Beena every season.
05:38And I have been so thrilled and amazed by what he writes for her. It's extremely unpredictable, just like Beena
05:47is, because you just don't know what she's going to do next.
05:50And that's been the joy of playing this character. She's really the puppeteer. She really knows what is whose Achilles
05:59heel and what is whose weakness and how she can play that to her advantage.
06:06And the film sort of beautifully gives her a context and gives this kind of personal context and a backstory,
06:12right, where you kind of find out how Beena became Beena and the pain and the grief and the lost
06:19love that sort of she's dealing with, which makes her this person who's ruthless.
06:25So you get to see the vulnerable side of her also. So I totally enjoy being her every season. And
06:31I think she's really the person who knows how to play the men, you know, she's sort of watching these
06:36men who are having ego clashes with each other and resorting to all sorts of things to resolve to, to,
06:41to, to, to sort of get the gaddi.
06:44But she's sort of really sitting quietly in the background and running the whole game. So I really enjoy that.
06:49And that's what's different about her from the men.
06:51You know, that's too awesome. All had to hurt.
06:54Ankar ji also, you know, like, Kaleen bhaiya toh is, you know, it's like, he's larger than, he's a larger
06:59than life character. And, but he's also a man who believes in power and is best exercised through fear and
07:06control.
07:07But would you say, like, beneath that strong and intimidating character, exterior that he has, Kaleen bhaiya, there is also
07:16a deeply insecure man who's constantly, like, afraid of losing his relevance.
07:22Ankar ji.
07:24Yeah, I've heard of that.
07:29Yes, power game mentor is in power.
08:03Thank you very much.
08:03Thank you very much.
08:35Thank you very much.
08:56Thank you very much.
09:13Thank you very much.
09:43Thank you very much.
10:14Thank you very much.
10:16And I think if another show had to emulate it, I think they would, they should maybe emulate that humanity.
10:23I think, I think that is something that will stay rather than anything else.
10:31Sorry, sorry, go ahead.
10:32No, no, please, please.
10:34I said my own little personal survey says that women secretly or not so secretly love watching Mirzapur.
10:44It's got a massive female audience.
10:47Yes.
10:48Very, very big.
10:48Yeah.
10:49But I was going to say, you know, I mean, I don't want to comment on other people's shows and
10:55what they make. But what is exciting for us as a team, and not just the director and the producers,
11:03but even I would imagine for the actors, is how to better the experience with the next season and with
11:11the next film.
11:11That challenge is something that is very exciting. Because with every time that you take something on, something that people
11:19have loved so much, if you are going to be a sequel or a prequel or whatever, when you do
11:26that, the responsibility lies on you to deliver something to the audience that is going to be good.
11:32And that responsibility, you can't take lightly. So you have to really, really up your game. And as much as
11:39you may feel that there is excitement, people will come, but the responsibility to give them something worth their while
11:46is twice as much.
11:49Especially when they've loved something, you know, because if people don't take their franchise seriously, in terms of the makers,
11:56don't take it seriously, they feel, think of it as some kind of a cash cow, and the work is
12:02not good, then you actually, even the original one starts suffering in the memory of people and in the hearts
12:08of people.
12:09So it's very important to make sure that you really pull up your socks, you know, and dig very, very
12:14deep to give people something memorable again and again. That's very important.
12:18So I'll take a leaf out of what you've just said that, you know, it's even bigger for the actors.
12:23And that's true because Pankajji's character, Rasikhamam's character, just you. So I mean, I'm sure like, I mean, you know,
12:30when you are loved so much for the characters you're playing, it does come with its own set of pros
12:35and cons. So according to you, Rasikhamam and Pankaj, what were your pros and cons playing Kaleen Bhaiya and, you
12:41know, or playing Dina and being so big with the characters?
13:02I can't see any cons, to be honest, but the pros are many. I mean, I had not been offered
13:09a role like this before.
13:10Something which is so complex and morally complex and very often not morally defensible either, which I thought was very
13:19interesting because, you know, we don't want to be doing that to characters because that becomes boring where you have
13:24a justification for everything that they do.
13:26And for a woman who's written like this, I thought it was very radical when I read it in 2018.
13:33And also I felt that, you know, we tend to sort of always look at women as very morally upright.
13:40And that was something that I wasn't enjoying so much.
13:42There is much more to them. They're as human as anybody else, as flawed as anybody else. And just to
13:47examine the complexity of that was something that I thought many scripts weren't doing very well.
13:51So this was absolutely a fantastic opportunity and it grew with every season, you know, and very often it does
13:59happen that the promise of the first season is big and it doesn't really follow through for subsequent seasons.
14:04And I felt that that didn't happen with Mirzapur. I felt like Puneet really had a hold on this character
14:09and he really knew how to take it to different places.
14:12And sometimes I would think, you know, when they would ask us for a subsequent season, I would think, what
14:17are we going to write for this?
14:18And he sort of superseded my imagination in every way with every season and definitely with the film where he
14:25gave Veena such a beautiful context, you know.
14:29So the pros are many, you know, when something does become iconic and it becomes a part of popular culture,
14:37which is absolutely fantastic for an actor and very difficult to get in your career.
14:41The con people could argue would be that, you know, then you then you get seen only in one particular
14:48way.
14:48But fortunately, with the kind of diversity in storytelling that streaming had at the time that Mirzapur came out, I
14:54had other shows which were happening, which were dramatically different from this in every way.
14:58Like Delhi Crime was on at the same time and went on to subsequent seasons.
15:01So I didn't sort of feel like that was a trap.
15:04In fact, I loved the idea that I was getting to showcase two different characters like this in longstanding shows,
15:12which have a legacy.
15:14Ankit, sir.
15:14That's all that Raseka said, now I can understand that.
15:19But sir, you're the most popular in pop culture.
15:23You're the most popular in Kaleen, you have the means, means, but when you have such a big character, then
15:28there's pros and cons, there's a responsibility.
15:31No, we don't raise responsibility in life.
15:34It's easy for me.
15:37I'm a professional, I've seen people, I've seen people, I've seen people.
15:40And the rest of their characteristics that we made.
15:44So we know, yeah, I've often forget the set, but Guruji, I've seen people that tell me.
16:15Thank you very much.
16:30Thank you very much.
16:48I'm sure you must have got this a lot.
16:50Now what is Mirzapur in the universe?
16:53I'm sure there will be something.
16:56Guru Ji and Puneet Ji will take something.
17:00Guru Ji and Farhan Ji, tell me.
17:03Yeah.
17:05Now we have left this thing on Mirzapur.
17:07I think Mirzapur writes.
17:09We follow it.
17:10So what Mirzapur has written for us, we will also know soon.
17:13But the only thing that we can definitely tell you is Mirzapur is going to come back.
17:18And it's going to come back soon.
17:19And of course, with a lot of fun and a lot more excitement.
17:23And with the tagline that we gave ourselves that we should have fun.
17:27So Mirzapur will come and fun.
17:29This is definitely going to happen.
17:32Farhan, would you like to add to this?
17:33No, no, no.
17:34I'm completely in agreement with Guru.
17:36Okay.
17:37Great.
17:38Lovely speaking to you guys.
17:41Thanks.
