‘Mirzapur’ gave lot of ‘love and reach’ to its actors, says Vijay Varma

Actor says he was more than happy when he was offered the role of twin brothers in the second season

Mumbai: With its massive fandom, ‘Mirzapur‘ has given a lot of “love and reach” to its actors, says Vijay Varma, who remembers watching the first season as a fan and getting instantly intrigued by the show world.

The actor said he was more than happy when he was offered the role of twin brothers in the second season. And now that he is returning for the third one, he said it’s a good feeling to be part of the show.

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“It’s unparalleled (the show’s popularity). I can’t tell you how much this show gives us because ‘jaha par kisine kuch nahi dekha hai usne ‘Mirzapur’ dekha hai (people who haven’t seen anything have seen the show). So, that’s the kind of love and reach… It’s like you’re not worried about what the critics will say. It’s a good feeling,” Varma said.

The crime drama introduced Varma, who has since built an enviable body of work in both movies and on OTT with projects such as ‘Darlings’, ‘She’ and ‘Dahaad’, as twin brothers Bharat Tyagi and Shatrughan Tyagi.

At the end of the second season, one of the two has survived. The third season will explore his story further as Ali Fazal’s Guddu Pandit and Kaleen Bhaiya, played by Pankaj Tripathi, prepare to battle it out for the throne of Mirzapur. Varma still remembers the impact the final episode of the Gurmmeet Singh-directed show, which featured a bloody battle in the middle of wedding festivities, had on him.

“I watched the first season of “Mirzapur” as an audience. I was hooked. The way they ended the first season was so disturbing and gripping. It left you thinking, ‘I want to watch this story, I want to know what happens next’. “Then I saw the fandom erupt and I was like, ‘Have we actually become this country that has fandom for shows? It’s a one-of-its-kind series, I think ‘Sacred Games’, and ‘Mirzapur’, are the pioneers… So, when I was asked to do the second season, I was more than glad,” Varma, 38, said.

The show, which borrows its name and fictional setting from the Uttar Pradesh city of Mirzapur, is premiering on July 5 on Prime Video.