As Mirzapur—The Film is announced, Ali Fazal says his character Guddu represents the rage and frustration of today’s population fighting class divide
Ali Fazal in the film’s teaser
In October, the makers of Mirzapur did something that hadn’t been done before in Indian entertainment—they decided to turn their popular web series into a movie. The gamble appears to have paid off. Fans are eagerly awaiting Mirzapur—The Film, ready to see Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Divyenndu and Abhishek Banerjee’s characters create mayhem on the big screen.
ADVERTISEMENT
Why now, after three successful seasons? That’s where we start our chat with Fazal, who will reprise his role of Guddu bhaiyya in the Gurmmeet Singh-directed film. “The idea is to take it to the people whose story it is. There are many who aren’t fully tuned into OTT,” he reasons.
Creator Puneet Krishnan’s crime drama, which premièred in 2017, depicts the power tussle between gangs in Uttar Pradesh, with Tripathi’s Kaleen bhaiyya’s domination challenged by Fazal’s Guddu bhaiyya. Fazal believes it resonated with the audience because it was one of the few series telling stories of the soil. “We talk so much about stories of the grassroots, but we don’t make them well. This is that one story. It connects with people because it could be a story from your neighbourhood, of people who have been pushed to the wall. This was the first time OTT dived into the depths of our country. Films did that a lot in the ’90s, but Mirzapur connected viewers with the people from the nooks and alleys of the country. It filled up a void [that had opened up] in the decade before that,” he states.
Fazal points out that his ‘angry young man’ role has been inspired by the heroes of the ’80s. “The angry young man always starts with being unaware of the workings of society, but [feels] the trickle effect of power as it is always felt first by the lowest of the lows. Mirzapur is an extreme version of that, with two brothers in college deciding to break that trap of status. Guddu bhaiyya’s swagger is a front that stems from the desperation of our youth, who want to be seen. Mirzapur talks to young men and women, who want to be validated by their parents and society.” He still considers it a stroke of luck to be selected for the role, considering he had done light-hearted roles in Fukrey and Happy Bhag Jayegi (2016) until then. “I don’t know how I was the choice for this character, who is nothing like me,” he grins.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
