'Let the madness stay in Mirzapur'

How does a college topper interested in poetry and literature winner of the years student council elections pick up a gun Shweta Tripathi Sharma says playing Gajagamini Golu Gupta in the Amazon Prime show Mirzapur has taught her that anything is possible And to never be quick to judge The second season out this week continues the story of three families in UPs infamous town of MirzapurmdashTripathis Pandits and Guptas whose lives are now inextricably intertwined The blood revenge sex love and power mix makes for drama drama of the heady kind that the actors hope stays restricted to their screen lives Because real life should be simpleDon Kaleen Bhaiya Pankaj Tripathi goodgirlgonebadass Golu Gupta and second wife to the don Bina Tripathi Rasika Dugal discuss the many interpretations of moralityEdited excerpts from the interviewPankaj TripathiIn season 2 of the series are the characters grappling more deeply with the concept of moralityRasika Dugal When I was offered the role of Bina Tripathi I was excited to play a woman who is not morally upright We are uncomfortable usually with narratives where women explore their desires and sexuality They are labelled immoral But Bina is not afraid She is also a risk taker who gets a thrill out of doing dangerous things I didnt judge her I have never judged people like her I look at her with admiration because her physicality is so different from mine I may be awkward at times and shy too But women like Bina are beautiful actually open about their needsOf course she faces the consequences I was heartbroken at her plight at the end of season 1 She is humiliated Now her motivation is to regain her selfrespect and also revengeShweta Tripathi Sharma As an actor I am blessed because I get to be and understand different personalities What is right for me may be wrong for my character and vice versa Playing Gajgamini Golu Gupta has strangely made me a better person We humans are very quick to judgemdashthis is right that is wrong Pankajjis character or his son Munnas also taught me a lot I ask why is Munna the bad pennymdashwhy is he the way he is We push people to a corner and then we call them bad if they react We must take responsibility for what we do to others The morality in this show is mutedmdashreal life is far more scaryPankaj Tripathi As actors when we explore other personalities outside our own selves our morality gets stronger In their crisis their complexities we find our moral compass But the world of crime has no place for values Perhaps by watching a show like this the audience might understand what morality is really When they see it go all over the place they may understand what abandoning their morals can lead toKaleen Bhaiya is a businessman and also a don but not publicly At the end of season 1 he declares however that he is a Bahubali He wants Munna to be like him Although his morals on the surface seem correct deep down there are problems unlike the out and out grey Munna In real life I think we find more people like Kaleen less like MunnaShweta TripathiThis season several of you are also making the journey from good or semigood to evil How has life changed your beliefsSTS Golu is a headstrong girl who has been challenged to face her own beliefs The people she loved have been snatched away To see something as brutal as your family being killed as you look on helplessly changes you Her priorities are now different as is her environment The show is about relationships actuallymdashhusband and wife and two people who are now stuck together because of what happens to them Golu and Guddu Ali Fazal Her turning to revenge and violence makes my personal belief strongermdashthat if you pick up the gun the end wont be nice No one in Mirzapur is happy What causes more havocmdashlove or the thirst for powerSTS Anything that leads to obsession can cause havoc Even being addicted to a particular food or working out Balance and respect are key For example I dont get obsessed by feedback Which is why trolling doesnt bother me I dont see too much into the comments good or bad If I let in the positivity and give it power I will let in the negativity too I want a lot of drama in my characters but my life needs to be devoid of it PT I agree Characters should be complex life should be simple This is actually a story about three familiesmdasha policemans a dons and a lawyers They represent three sides of our societymdashthe police judiciary and crime Everything is counted in terms of money love and power When crime mixes with judiciary and the sons of a lawyer join a dons gangmdashthere is havocRasika DugalWhat about the ordinary man and his angst Where does he stand in all this chaosPT The power games every one is playing is for the common man to watch Shweta does anyone in our show really reflect societySTS Not really PT The ordinary man is enjoying our miserySTS But we are all sort of ordinary too When Guddu first has a glimpse of Kaleen Bhaiyas life he says oh life should be like this PT Yes like the young students in Golus classmdashthey think of the criminal life as a good life Its looking at that charm and glamour that the two sons of the lawyer get drawn into a life of crimeWhats the audience taking away from the story you thinkRD I dont think there is a message but if viewers find a bit of themselves in the show I think we have been successfulPT You may think it is only entertainment but there is a subtext to every story Crime ki duniya kisi ko kabhi bhi behtar jagah nahin le jaati hai If villains are from Mirzapur so are the heroes So everyone comes from the same place We all live in a grey areamdashwe move from black into white and vice versa as it suits us STS There is a lot to learnmdashdont judge If if you have a problem talk about it Conversation always leads to solutions And let the madness be on screenmdashmake memes about the show and thats that Dont get inspired by usKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news