'Mirzapur 2' review: Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Shweta Tripathi are back with all guns blazing

I have to admit, I had judged the first season of 'Mirzapur' a bit too soon. To me, the show looked like Amazon Prime's (the OTT platform on which the show is available) answer to Netflix'Sacred Games'. The profanities were the same, so was the bloodshed and the gore, but 'Mirzapur' presented the dark side of the heartland with such effectiveness that it grew on the viewers with its elaborate storyline.

Its second season, which is now streaming on the OTT platform from October 23 onwards seems rooted in its detailed storytelling and much like its first season introduces myriad characters.

The first two episodes of the second season managed to establish the premise well. After the bloodshed in the final episode of season 1, where Munna killed Sweety and Bablu- the first episode picks up from a few days later where Munna is recuperating at home, under the watchful eyes of his father, Kaleen Bhaiya- the undisputed king of Mirzapur.

Having survived the massacre, Golu, Guddu and Dimpy are on the run. They are battered physically but internally they all want to avenge the death of their loved ones. Ali Fazal to WION on 'Mirzapur 2', Hollywood films and fanboy moments

Revenge is on everyone's mind. The motives and enemies may be different. While they all seek to avenge a loved one's death- their eyes are also on taking charge of Mirzapur.

With almost all the characters wielding guns and speaking dramatic lines at regular intervals, 'Mirzapur 2' sticks to its basic story on revenge and overrule.

Its cast, comprising mostly of the actors from the first season reprising their roles, remains one of the high point of the series along with its detailed screenplay. Pankaj Tripathi as Kaleen Bhaiya is calm, calculative and hence dangerous. Tripathi brings in the right kind of restraint to the character. Complementing his performance is actor Divyendu, who plays his ruthless, callous and evil son Munna. Divyendu's performance is the first season was a revelation for many and in the second the season, the actor seemed to have taken it a few notches higher.

There's also Ali Fazal and Shweta Tripathi-as Guddu and Golu- the nemesis of Kaleen Bhaiya who no one expected who evolve into such prominent characters in the story.

Tripathi and Fazal bring an unusual amount of restraint to their characters and emote stunningly well in the emotional scenes. The first two episodes also give glimpses of two new characters - played by actors Anjum Sharma and Vijay Raaz who in the coming episodes may play key roles in the story.

The writers may have an elaborate story in place, it never really delves deeper. Much like the first season, this one doesn't have too much subtext though from the first two episodes it appears that the women will get prominence in the story and may even take control over Mirzapur.  That's been my impression from the first two episodes.

Each episode is one hour long - which is justified considering the number of sub-plots that exist in the storyline.

My only problem from the first two episodes were the endings. They did not make me curious about the next episode as it had in the first season where almost every episode was a cliff- hanger.

High on action and gore, 'Mirzapur 2' delivers what it had promised in its trailer. The plot may not always make sense, the gore may make you squirm in disgust, but a stellar cast easily makes up for the flaws.

Also see: Mirzapur S2' or 'A Suitable Boy': Which series will you binge-watch this weekend?