Mirzapur: The Movie director calls Jitendra Kumar recast a blessing in disguise

Mirzapur: The Movie is still going strong in theatres. Its worldwide gross has reached Rs 333.29 crore by Day 27. With the film still running, director Gurmmeet Singh has opened up about one of its biggest talking points. Jitendra Kumar took over the role of Bablu Pandit, which Vikrant Massey played in the show.

Singh said that creative work is about having choices, and that actors and creators alike should be free to follow their heart. In his view, no story or character is tied to any single person, and the show will always keep moving forward. He said Jitendra's arrival brought fresh energy and helped the film build an identity of its own.

The director called the recast a blessing in disguise. It gave the team the chance to rethink Bablu and move him closer to the centre of the story. In the show, he explained, Bablu mostly helped his brother and ended up a victim, with no plan of his own. The Bablu in the film is different. He plays the game himself and drives the story.

Singh said the team learned to turn a setback into an advantage, which he sees as the whole point of creativity. With the film doing so well, he believes many new doors are now open for the makers. Mohitt Maalik's take on Birju Lohar also came up as he looked back on how the characters have grown.

Singh reportedly also spoke about how much the actors made up on set. According to reports, most of the back and forth during the car race between Guddu and Munna was never in the script. Ali Fazal is said to have come up with the idea of Guddu firing two guns while driving. The director then suggested that Divyenndu's Munna answer with his Anaconda. Pankaj Tripathi is also said to have invented the word "bhusandayyi" for Kaleen Bhaiyya.

The film reportedly hit theatres on September 4. Its cast includes Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Jitendra Kumar, Rasika Dugal, Shweta Tripathi, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Abhishek Banerjee and Mohitt Maalik.