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Ali Fazal on Mirzapur The Film: ‘It is like going back to the start…’

During the fifth edition of Screen LIVE, Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal, who were promoting their maiden production venture, Girls Will Be Girls, opened up about the connection between Mirzapur and Gangs of Wasseypur.

Ali Fazal at the 5th edition of SCREEN Live. (Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

By: Entertainment Desk
Updated: December 20, 2024 10:46 PM IST

3 min read

Before the Baahubalis, the KGFs, and the Pushpas, Hindi cinema had its own homegrown two-part film that became the talk of the nation, and created quite the impact on the national and global levels. That movie was Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur, and it starred Richa Chadha in the pivotal role of Nagma Khatoon, the primary woman in the lives of both Sardar Khan and Faizal Khan. Such has been the impact of the movies that it has spawned not just films but also web series that try to replicate its flavour and treatment, often to mixed results. One such series was Amazon Prime Video’s Mirzapur, which features popular actor-filmmaker and Richa’s husband, Ali Fazal.

At the fifth edition of SCREEN Live, Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal spoke in front of a robust audience about a variety of things, especially their maiden home production, Girls Will be Girls, currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, and the connect between Mirzapur and GoW.

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Richa Chadha believes the Gangs of Wasseypur phenomenon gave rise to many films and series, including Mirzapur.

With the crowd in attendance dialling up the whistles and cheers at the very mention of Mirzapur, Ali Fazal opened up about what’s in store for the much-hyped Mirzapur The film, which is currently in the works. “The film will have not just me, but also Divyenndu, Pankaj Tripathy, and Abhishek Banerjee,” said the actor. When asked how the movie would bring back the characters of Munna Bhaiyaa, Compounder etc… since they are killed in the series, which has completed three seasons, Ali revealed, “It is like going back to the start and telling the story. So they are all there. Once you see me cut my hair, and get beefed up physically, you know I am back on sets working on Mirzapur.”

Also Read | Ali Fazal on backing Girls Will Be Girls: ‘Richa and I had to break our FDs to produce the film’

The fifth edition of SCREEN Live featured Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal, Preeti Panigarhi and Kesav Binoy Kiron.

Richa Chadha then quipped, “Mirzapur was originated in the belly of Gangs of Wasseypur,” which lead to ripples of laughter among the crowd. Talking about working in GoW, Richa revealed that she had no clue that the Anurag Kashyap duology would become such a huge success. “It is a cult film today, but when we were making it we didn’t realise it will be a huge hit… A phenomena…”