Following the resounding success of its first 2 seasons, Mirzapur Season 3 went on to become Prime Video India’s most-watched show in just its launch weekend. The well-acclaimed crime thriller captivated audiences with its raw and uncompromising portrayal of crimes, deceit, vengeance and power struggles in the universe of Mirzapur, depicted through various characters that have become audience favourites.
The shocking death of one of its characters—Munna Tripathi’s (Divyenndu)—in Mirzapur Season 2 and subsequent absence in Season 3 left fans wanting for more. But Munna Bhaiyya, in his signature style, made a surprising comeback to Mirzapur Season 3 in Prime Video’s recently released bonus episode. Here’s a full download on that if you’re yet to watch it.
As you await Season 4, let’s zoom out a little. While the storyline and characters were praised by all, the making of the show was as dramatic as the show itself and deserves a special spotlight. Get ready to understand what went into the making of some iconic scenes of the Mirzapur universe as we uncover 15 behind-the-scenes trivia tidbits from Season 3 (Warning: spoilers ahead).
Episode 1: Tetua
1. A prosthetic cast that took 4 hours to build
Time stamp: 00:06:12
Ever wondered how Munna Bhaiyya’s final rites’ closeup was shot? His entire face, with all its intricacies was created using a prosthetic cast that took 4 hours to build for only for 7 seconds of screen time.
2. Shooting at a working crematorium
Time stamp: 00:07:39
Munna’s cremation scene was shot in an actual crematorium, which meant the imposition of strict rules and a limited shooting window for the crew to work with. If a real cremation was scheduled during the shoot days, shooting had to halt. Fortunately, the shoot wrapped up within the allotted time.
3. Home-cooked meals between fight scenes
Time stamp: 00:27:09
We cannot talk about Mirzapur without mentioning the skilfully executed scenes of violence. Typically, during such scenes—like the one in Episode 1 where a literal beheading takes place in public—nearby residents expressed concerns. However, those living near the shoot location in Murga Gully were remarkably hospitable and even provided home-cooked meals to the crew and visiting fans.
4. Vegetarian meat, anyone?
Time stamp: 00:39:32
Important conversations are often had over great meals and so was the case when Munawwar (Ayaz Khan) met with Guddu, Golu and Sharad (Anjumm Shharma) to discuss the shifting dynamics in Purvanchal. In the dining room scene at Munnawar's house in Episode 1, laziz ghosht (goat or sheep meet) is served to all the guests. However, none of the actors in this scene consume mutton, so what you see on the table is actually vegetarian mock meat.
Episode 2: Mexico
5. Shooting in front of 500+ onlookers
Time stamp: 00:50:46
In Episode 2, Guddu is trying to establish his power and decides to visit Tripathi Chowk and destroy Kaleen Bhaiya’s (Pankaj Tripathi) statue in a bid to send out a message to his rivals. Most of the crowd gathered in the statue-breaking scene were onlookers and pedestrians who recognized Ali Fazal and decided to stay and watch the shoot. “These were almost 500 to 600 outsiders just watching the cast and crew do their thing,” said the show's director, Gurmmeet Singh, in an exclusive interview with About Amazon.
Episode 3: Pratishodh
6. Dark chocolate masquerades as opium
Time stamp: 00:12:04
One way to establish dominance in Mirzapur’s underworld is to be the go-to person for drug trade. In an attempt to do so, Golu meets with some opium brokers in Episode 3 and tries to negotiate its cost. The ‘afeem’ or opium being tasted in the scene is actually dark chocolate that has been melted and reshaped to make it edible for actors on screen.
Episode 5: Traahi
7. ‘Khukri’ to the rescue
Time stamp: 00:21:20
Back from his trip to Kathmandu in Episode 5, Guddu asks about Golu’s whereabouts but doesn’t seem to find a concrete answer from Beena or the house help. In this scene where he’s sitting in the living room with Beena, the knife he is holding is called ‘Khukri.’ This is a type of utility knife that has been used by Gurkhas (soldiers from Nepal serving in the British and Indian armies) and also eventually made its way into the inventory of the Nepalese army.
8. Vitamins replace vices: Portraying Cocaine use safely
Time stamp: 00:45:33
Golu is still missing and as Guddu beats himself over it, a scheming Beena slips him a packet of cocaine to take his mind off things. This cocaine that Guddu consumes off of the gaddi’s armrest is actually Vitamin B12 powder. It was cleared by a medical professional as the safest possible solution for Fazal to ingest on screen.
Episode 6: Bhasmasur
9. If pencils could kill…
Time stamp: 00:51:36
At the end of the episode, Raheem (Pallav Singh) stabs Lala (Anil George) to death. The bloody weapon you see in his hand is a retractable pencil that was made specially for this scene.
Episode 8: Raja Beta
10. The solemn ritual: Breaking the pen after a death sentence
Time stamp: 00:39:49
In the courtroom scene, we see the judge about to break the nib of his pen, a common practice among judges after signing a death sentence. This signifies that once signed and broken, one cannot go back on the final decision made. It also portrays symbolism that a pen used to take someone's life should never be used again.
Episode 9: Ansh
11. Safety first
Time stamp: 00:07:19
When Robin’s (Priyanshu Painyuli) body is being taken away in Episode 9, the stretcher was not just a prop, it is the on-set ambulance hired to be kept on standby by production while shooting an action scene.
12. The bloody truth
Time stamp: 00:23:51
When Golu ends up using Saloni (Neha Sargam) as a human shield when Chote (Vijay Varma) comes for her, a prosthetic patch was stuck onto Saloni's arm, underneath which a pipe was attached. Blood was pumped off-camera to give the appearance of an open bleeding wound as Chote accidentally slits Saloni’s throat.
13. Award winning musician on the sides
Time stamp: 00:33:09
As Beena finally meets her daughter-in-law Madhuri (Isha Talwar), the musical group seen performing in the background is led by Varun Mishra who is an Indian classical artist based out of Lucknow. He has been honoured by former president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam for his craft and performs and teaches music all over the world.
Episode 10: Pratibimbh
14. The writer gets his due
Time stamp: 00:12:25
The bus full of government representative that Zarina (Anangsha Biswas) takes to Sharad Shukla in a clever move against Kushwaha (Shashi Bhushan), the words "Badgaiyann Travels" are written on the front of the bus. This has been named after the writer of Mirzapur Season 3, Apurva Dhar Badgaiyan.
15. Removing onlookers with CGI
Time stamp: 00:34:17
While shooting the scene where Kaleen Bhaiya meets Madhuri at the waterfall, there were several fans who noticed Pankaj Tripathi. In the excitement of catching a glimpse of Tripathi in action, the onlookers were standing all around the waterfall. They were later removed from the final scene with the help of VFX.
Loved these facts? You can also go behind the scenes of more of your favourite movies and series with Prime Video’s exclusive X-Ray feature. Just look for the words ‘X-Ray’ on your screen when watching a Prime Video Original and click on it for
