- Pankaj Tripathi reprises Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur The Movie releasing September 4
- Film directed by Gurmmeet Singh and written by Puneet Krishna, announced in 2024
- Mirzapur The Movie is a fresh chapter set in the Mirzapur universe from the 2018 series
All good things take time, believes Pankaj Tripathi, who is happy that the feature film adaptation of his popular web series Mirzapur is finally set to hit the screens on September 4.
Pankaj Tripathi, who is set to reprise his fan-favourite character Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur The Movie, revealed why it took so much time for the film to be ready for a release. It is directed by Gurmmeet Singh and written by Puneet Krishna.
"Writing is a very important aspect of filmmaking. When the film was announced back in 2024, the makers got cracking on writing the story. Until they are satisfied with the script, no maker, directors or writer goes on floors with the film. Ideally, they shouldn't go floors until the writing is completed.
"So, when they thought they have the right story in their hands... Chai jab proper khaul jaye tabhi toh chhaante hain. When the story was cooked, they started straining it. Now that the process if straining is complete, they have announced the date," the actor told NDTV in an interview.
Pankaj Tripathi also said he understands the hype around Mirzapur The Movie and the excitement of the fans of the original Mirzapur. Unfortunately, his tongue is tied by his contract.
"Media wants to know all the inside stories but we have to hide. Contracts zubaan ko kas dete hain, 'mat batana' (Contracts gag us, they say 'Don't say anything')" he said.
The actor, known for Gangs of Wasseypur, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Criminal Justice, and the Stree film franchise, said he has fun reading all these fan theories and gossip around the film.
"Meanwhile, all these gossip stories start coming up, 'This will happen, that will happen'. We also read them and quietly have fun thinking 'it'll be fun to see the reactions when the film actually comes out'," he added.
What he could reveal the most about Mirzapur The Movie was that it is a fresh chapter set in the Mirzapur universe, which was born back in 2018 as a Prime Video series.
"It's an interesting story. We are exploring a new territory in this film. We hope audiences will like it," teased Pankaj Tripathi.
Mirzapur: The Movie is produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar and co-produced by Kassim Jagmagia and Vishal Ramchandani under the banner of Excel Entertainment.
Besides Pankaj Tripathi, the upcoming film will also see Ali Fazal reprise his role of Guddu Bhaiya, with Divyenndu making his comeback as Munna Bhaiya.
Jitendra Kumar, Ravi Kishan, Abhishek Banerjee, Rasika Duggal, Shweta Tripathi, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Harshita Gaur, Sushant Singh, Mohit Malik, Sheeba Chadha, Rajesh Tailang, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Sonal Chauhan, Pramod Pathak and Anangsha Biswas also round out the cast of Mirzapur: The Movie.
