For Mirzapur buffs, Mirzapur is as much about Kaleen Bhaiya and Guddu Pandit as it is about Beena Tripathi.
Played brilliantly by Rasika Dugal, Beena Tripathi is one of the 'boldest' characters-in the truest sense of the term-that Indian OTT has come up with so far. Ahead of the theatrical release of Mirzapur: The Movie, Rasika Dugal revisited two crucial scenes from Mirzapur (the series) in an exclusive chat with NDTV.
'Shattered To See Beena Tripathi In A Powerless Situation'
When it comes to the nuances of Beena Tripathi's character arc, Rasika Dugal credits the writers of the series.
"For me, it was never challenging to understand the emotional core of Beena Tripathi. It was on paper. The challenging part was to adapt her body language. When I first heard the story, my impression was that when Beena enters the room, people should turn around and look at her," Rasika tells NDTV.
At the end of season one, Beena Tripathi is raped by her father-in-law, Satyanand Tripathi (played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda), at gunpoint. In season two, Beena avenges her humiliation by brutally killing 'Bauji'. Was playing those two scenes cathartic as an actor?
"What I really like about the writing is that whenever Beena's agency is taken away, she finds her way to a comeback. It was a moving moment for me when Beena locks the door at the end of season one. There was a sense of resignation in doing that. She knew that this day would come one day and she had to go through it. She was raped at gunpoint. I felt shattered to see Beena in a powerless situation. She is always self-assured, in control, but now she's in a powerless situation," Rasika says, revisiting the crucial scene.
"The truth about women in a patriarchal society is that when a woman owns a place, people don't like it and they try to take her agency," Rasika adds.
Female Desire, Backlash, Commentary
Even in 2026, when mainstream films or any form of art talk about female desire and sexuality, a section of the Internet starts moral-policing. Asked if she is bothered by troll comments, Rasika says she has her own filters.
"Nowadays, it's not about films anymore. Everyone is commenting on everything around. So, if you read everything, you will be confused. I have my own filters. I don't want anything that can affect my decision as an actor, that disturbs my integrity as an actor. I don't want to be doubtful about my choices," says Rasika.
Dawat-E-Mirzapur
Ahead of the film's release, Ali Fazal and Divyenndu hosted a dawat (feast) for the entire cast and crew.
"When we were shooting in Varanasi last year, there was a scene when all of the cast was present. It was Ali's (Fazal) birthday too. He called a chef from Lucknow who cooked delicious food for us. On popular demand, he was called again this time. And we met and ate in Mumbai," Rasika shares, recounting the anecdote of the Mirzapur gathering.
Directed by Gurmeet Singh, Mirzapur: The Movie releases in theatres on September 4.
Also Read | Why Ali Fazal Says Mirzapur The Movie Is A "Big Experiment": 'Asli Ras, New Flavour'
