Ali Fazal on Mirzapur’s gender balance

A prominent problem of gangster flicks is that the makers do not invest enough time in etching out the female characters in the narrative. What’s refreshing about Mirzapur, however, it is writing of the female characters. All ladies in both seasons of the series hold their own in a largely male-dominated set-up, finding their voice.

While pointing out how Gurmeet Singh, the maker of Mirzapur, always envisioned the story as a tale of power, seeing his female characters as figures of grit, Ali Fazal adds that it’s important for male actors of this generation to consciously back stories with well fleshed-out female characters.

Explaining why he enjoys working with the team for multiple reasons, Ali says, “The foremost is that the writing and direction team is not telling a story for the heck of it. There’s style and novelty of approach. Even when I first read the script, I was impressed with the way the characters were fleshed out. Sweety, Beena is a firecracker. Sheeba ji, who plays my mother Vasudha, has a mind of her own. These are women, who while servicing a larger plot, hold their ground beautifully, and I do not say this from any presumed position of privilege but that of sincerity. I am delighted to be alongside such great talent. This is the kind of gender balance and subversion in storytelling that will change the tropes of popular narrative.”