The much-awaited ‘Mirzapur: The Movie’ is all set to bring the beloved crime saga from OTT to the big screen this September. The recently released teaser has already created a buzz, with fans celebrating the return of fan-favorite characters like Munna Bhaiya (Divyandu) and the compounder (Abhishek Banerjee). But fans unanimously felt the absence Vikrant Massey Bablu Pandit will now portray the character when he returns to films in the film Jitendra Kumar Instead of Vikrant.The reason behind Vikrant’s departure from one of the show’s most memorable roles remains undisclosed. However, amid the teaser launch of ‘Mirzapur’, Vikrant recently recalled fond memories from the series. The actor looked back fondly on his time in the series and admitted that he still wants Bablu’s story to continue. “I wish they hadn’t killed me,” Vikrant said with a wry smile during a conversation with the FLO Bangalore official. He also shared that he never imagined that his character or the show would become such a cultural phenomenon when he first came on board.“When Mirzapur came my way, it was actually a gathering of enthusiastic people. There were also many wonderful women who were a part of it, but initially the show involved probably 85 per cent men, both in front of and behind the camera. It was just a group of people who came together and said, ‘Let’s believe in this project of Excell’s passion’. Vikrant praised the production house for supporting an original story in the Indian heartland at a time when the mainstream Such descriptions were still uncommon in entertainment. “So it’s just a bunch of guys getting together, going out there and pandering to our testosterone, our male ego or the patriarchy, if you can say that.”He also reminisced about the overwhelming response the series received immediately after its release and how Bablu Pandit became a household name almost overnight. “I remember very clearly that I was in Lucknow the day the show came out. I was shooting for a film called Ramprasad Ki Teharvi. I was doing the 7 am to 7 pm shift. I entered the set around 6 or 6:30. It wasn’t really bright. But when the shoot was about to end, I heard some noise outside the location. The director and assistants were finding it a bit difficult to control the sound as we shoot in sync sound. And then we realized that there were at least 200-300 people outside the location as news spread that Bablu Bhaiya was shooting there.”Reflecting on that unforgettable moment, Vikrant said he was taken back by the scale of audience love, especially since it happened within a day of the show’s premiere. “And it happened within 24 hours. The show started at 12 midnight, and it was the next evening, so maybe 17-18 hours later. There were people on bikes behind my car. They wanted pictures with me, they wanted selfies and autographs. And that’s when we realized that we had created something really good, that people were really enjoying.“
