Divyenndu on reprising his role in Mirzapur—The Film: ‘I’m a selfish actor but...'

With Mirzapur—The Film set to roll next year, actor Divyenndu, whose character died in the series, says he joined the project to express his gratitude to the audience

Divyenndu has already begun counting days to 2025. Reason? The new year will mark his return to the Mirzapur universe. “We start shooting sometime next year,” says the actor.

Mirzapur—The Film is a perfect, although unusual, example of how there is no stopping a successful series. In a first, the popular Prime Video series will extend into a film, with Gurmmeet Singh at the helm, and Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Shweta Tripathi Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee in front of the camera. Divyenndu’s character Munna bhaiyya was shown dead in the crime drama’s second season. But when the film came his way, the actor said an instant yes. “I have said that I am a selfish actor and I do a project for myself. But Mirzapur—The Film is one of those projects that I’ll do for friends and fans because they deserve it. When people give you so much love, you have to give it back. I’m happy that Excel Entertainment [production house] thought of making it into a film and releasing it on the big screen. It’s our return gift to the audience,” he smiles.

If a much-loved series can spawn a movie, the reverse too is possible. That’s an idea Divyenndu is toying with as his latest OTT film, Rahul Dholakia’s Agni, has opened to wide praise. “When we showed the film to Mumbai firefighters, we received a great response, and in Delhi, we got an even greater response. So, there can be a web series on firefighters, where different stories and characters can exist,” he shares.

Before we look ahead at all the possibilities in the next year, it’s evident that the actor has had a successful 2024, offering diverse work across platforms. His performance in the big-screen laugh riot, Madgaon Express, was widely appreciated, while his gritty act in Agni was the perfect way to cap the year. Even as he enjoys balancing the two mediums, Divyenndu admits that pulling audience to theatres is becoming difficult. “Earlier, [viewers’ thought process] was that they had to watch a film over the weekend. Now, it takes an effort for a person to buy a ticket and watch a film. Every kind of cinema is thriving, but you can’t take [the audience] for granted. Also, both experiences are important—there are some stories that you’d like to watch intimately on your TV or mobile phone.”

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