When the third season of Mirzapur dropped and fans of the series were hit with the realisation that Divyenndu’s eccentric, volatile gangster Munna Bhaiya would no longer be on the show, they took to Instagram to stage an emotional campaign.
Tributes flooded his feed with "Laut aao, Munna, kaha gaye ho Munna" (Come back, Munna, where have you gone?) captions, set to sweeping background music that actually — and he laughs as he admits it — moved the actor to tears.
"I thought to myself, Why am I getting emotional over this?! But that is the kind of craze the character created," Divyenndu tells THR India. "Of course, now that we are returning with Mirzapur: The Movie, it’s going to be absolute mayhem. All guns blazing."
Recently seen on the Netflix series Glory, the actor talks to THR India about his lineup, including the ighly anticipated Mirzapur feature film, the Ram Charan-led biggie Peddi, and a sequel to his recent comedy hit Madgaon Express.
What does your current lineup, including Peddi and Mirzapur The Movie mean to you?
I feel happy and secure, but I'm a greedy artist. My next target is a legit horror, not a horror-comedy!
I'm extremely excited for Peddi. Going to Telugu cinema gave me such a fresh feeling because I was the new kid again, trying to comprehend a new language and culture. I fell in love with filmmaking all over again. I'm even speaking Telugu in the film! It wasn't easy; I had to mug up big lines. It’s a period film with a specific dialect, and Telugu doesn't have many pauses, it’s quite breathless. I joked with them that we need to introduce some pauses! But I cracked it by giving the character a high-status lineage, which dictated a certain way of speaking.
You have finishing shooting Mirzapur: The Film...
It’s going to be "vintage" Mirzapur. We are coming all guns blazing. You’ll see the same characters as the first season — how they were. It’s a similar setting but in a different situation. Because it’s a film, it’s on a much bigger, cinematic canvas, and it’s truly for the fans.
I still can’t fathom the love people have for Munna; sometimes you wonder if a character like that actually exists in a parallel world. Since my character died in season three, people were making these emotional reels with old Hindi songs asking him to come back. (laughs)
I really hope I can do justice to him all over again. There was a bit of a dichotomy in my head about whether I should play him completely fresh or copy what I did in season one, so I was a little shifty at the start.
The trade is calling Mirzapur the dark horse of the box office. They believe if this IP lands in cinemas, it will be mayhem…
Yes. It’s going to be a revolution in terms of revenue streaming; I think many people are eyeing this to see if it works so they can do the same (turn a series into a film). Just like the first time Mirzapur came out and no one expected anything, I think the film is on its way to doing something historic.
Are there concrete discussions happening for a Madgaon Express sequel?
It is definitely happening. Kunal (Kemmu) has already written the first draft. If everything goes well, we are looking to start shooting later this year or very early next year. I haven't read the draft yet because I’ve been so busy with Glory, but the team is just waiting for me to give them a clear date so we can all sit down and get started.
If you ever turn director, will it be a homage to the films you grew up watching?
I know I want to direct, but I’m still contemplating the genre. I have a liking for slow-burn thrillers... something very passive, in the vein of the Coen Brothers. I’m also a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick and how he could pick any genre and make a classic out of it. I think I have that same misconception right now where I feel I can do a lot, but I really need to sit down and ask myself what specific story I want to tell.