Abhishek Banerjee Says Mirzapur The Movie’s Success Shows Need To Drop OTT, Film Actor

It has been two weeks since the release of Mirzapur: The Movie, starring Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal and Shweta Tripathi. The gangster drama crossed the ₹100 crore mark within four days of its release, underscoring the enduring popularity of the series and its characters.

What Abhishek Banerjee Said

Abhishek Banerjee, who played Compounder in the first season of Mirzapur in 2018, has reprised the role in the film and spoken about its success. He said the film’s performance showed that there is no longer a clear divide between mainstream Bollywood performers and actors associated with OTT platforms.

“I was actually bored with the whole idea of people from the industry putting these tags about OTT and Bollywood actors and this and that… I hope that people are observing and understanding that there is no boundary, and anybody can flip any side,” Banerjee told news agency PTI.

Banerjee, who also worked as a casting director on the series, recalled how difficult it was initially to convince established actors to take up OTT projects.

“I remember casting for Mirzapur and I remember how difficult it was at that time to communicate to some of the actors that this can be the next big thing,” he said.

The actor recalled telling performers to simply read the script before deciding. According to Banerjee, some actors at the time would say they did not want to be “seen on a laptop”, whereas actors now actively seek opportunities in major web shows.

All About Mirzapur: The Movie

Presented by Amazon MGM Studios and Excel Entertainment, Mirzapur: The Movie is directed by Gurmeet Singh and written by Puneet Krishna. It is produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under the Excel Entertainment banner, with Kassim Jagmagia and Vishal Ramchandani serving as co-producers.

The film features Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripathi and Divyenndu, while Jitendra Kumar takes over the role of Bablu Pandit from Vikrant Massey. Ravi Kishan appears in a new role, while Rasika Dugal, Sheeba Chadha, Rajesh Tailang, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Harshita Shekhar Gaur and Shweta Tripathi reprise their characters from the series.

The movie returns to the violent and power-driven world of Mirzapur, where rivalries, betrayals and battles for control continue to shape the story.

Set in 2018, the film explores an untold chapter connected to the first season of the series. It marks the first big-screen outing for the Mirzapur franchise, which began as a streaming series in 2018 and expanded into one of India’s prominent OTT franchises across three seasons.