Violent People of Mirzapur

Nowadays, it’s very rare when a series turns into a sensation. Mirzapur, from last two season have been the most talked about. The wait for the new season feels like decades. And now we have the third season of the epic saga which is famous for its over-the-top violence and profanity filled dialogues that turn into memes. But why are these men and women so violent? What led them to being so violent? Let’s analyze the same here.

Satyanand “Babuji” Tripathi:

Starting from the patriarch of the family. Although his approach is often more psychological and manipulative rather than direct physical violence, Babuji exhibits violent tendencies. Here are some aspects of his violent behavior:

Cultural and Social Norms: Babuji operates within the brutal and lawless world of Mirzapur, where violence is a common tool for maintaining power and control. His acceptance and endorsement of violent practices reflect the cultural norms of his environment.

Authoritarian Control: Babuji exerts control over his family and associates through psychological manipulation and coercion. His actions often create an environment of fear and submission, which can be considered a form of violence. As the real patriarch of the Tripathi family, Babuji maintains strict and authoritarian control over his household. While he may not frequently engage in direct physical violence himself, his actions and decisions and commands frequently lead to violent outcomes, demonstrating his indirect role in perpetuating violence. His strategic thinking often leads to orchestrated violence to achieve his goals.

Akhandand “Kaleen Bhaiya” Tripathi:

Akhandand is only seeing being violent in the flashback when he was young. By the time we see him running the city, he’s not the resorting to violence directly but has men, especially his bodyguard Maqbool Khan to do his dirty work. Let’s analyze his violent behavior here.

Control: As the head of the criminal empire in Mirzapur that involves drug trafficking and arms dealing, Kaleen Bhaiya uses violence to maintain his authority and control over the region. Violence is a strategic tool to instill fear and ensure loyalty among his subordinates and rivals. It's also an inherent part of his business operations, to eliminate threats and competitors.

Survival: Violence is often a means of survival in Mirzapur. Kaleen Bhaiya's actions are influenced by the prevailing culture of brutality, which sees violent measures as legitimate and effective. Also, he resorts to brutality to protect himself, his family, and his interests from rival gangs and law enforcement.

Politics: Kaleen Bhaiya is a calculative and pragmatic leader. Unlike most of the main characters, his violence is often cold and calculated, used to achieve specific goals and eliminate obstacles. It's a part of his strategy to consolidate power and expand his empire.

Phoolchand “Munna” Tripathi:

Gone (at least as per what we saw in end of season 2) but not forgotten and maybe returning. Loud and insane but still loved universally, Munna Bhaiya has his own fairs hare of criminal escapades. Weather it’s killing a groom by mistake while dancing or killing his own love interest over jealousy, the dude has done it all. Let’s find out the factor that makes Munna Bhaiya a violent person.

Environment and Privileges: Munna grows up with tons of privileges in a crime-infested environment where violence is a way of life. He’s been witnessing bloodshed since birth in a setting where lawlessness and brutality are normalized. His father and grandfather are both gangsters influencing him to resort to violence as a first response to conflicts.

Power: Munna's actions are often driven by his desire to assert dominance and control over others. Violence is a means to maintain his position and power. His annoyance is very much evident once he feels power slipping away from him as his father let’s Guddu and Bablu handle the business.

Personal Insecurities and Losses: Munna struggles with insecurities, especially in trying to live up to his father's expectations. His violence is a manifestation of his inner turmoil and need to prove himself. Apart from that, rejection from his love interest and the loss of his friend contribute to the violent tendencies inside him. There’s a possibility that had he not lost his best friend, or his feelings were not reciprocated by the girl he loved; he wouldn’t have massacred people at the wedding in the end of Season-1.

Govind “Guddu” Pandit:

This dude started as an innocent and naïve college kid and now is seen ruling Mirzapur. Seeing confessing in the trailer of Third Season that his USP is Violence, let’s see the factors contributing to it.

Survival and Revenge: Guddu's initial foray into violence is driven by a need to protect himself and his loved ones in a lawless environment. The brutal nature of Mirzapur forces him to adopt violence as a means of survival. But, a significant turning point in Guddu's character arc is the murder of his wife Sweety and brother Bablu. These losses drive Guddu towards a path of vengeance, fueling his violent behavior.

Power: Like Munna, Guddu becomes embroiled in the power struggles of Mirzapur. Violence becomes a necessary tool to challenge the existing power structures and assert his own influence which he succeeds in doing by the time Season two ends.

Roid Rage: Something that almost everyone missed about Guddu. Remember Compounder (Abhishek Banerjee) giving him pills to improve his body in the first season? Well, without going much into the scientific complexities of the pills, let me inform you that those are steroids that Guddu is provided with. Now steroids have their own effect on the human body. If you rewatch the whole season again, you'll notice the change in Guddu’s behavior once he started taking the pills. His actions become increasingly ruthless and aggressive with every dose. Also, you'll see his withdrawal symptoms like feeling drowsy, hallucinations and being isolated after he stops taking those pills by the end of the season one and in the second season.

Gajgamini “Golu” Gupta:

You can call Golu the Walter White of the series whose character turns darker drastically. She starts as someone who is studious, straightforward and against violence but ends up getting embroiled in it eventually. Here are the factors leading to the inevitable:

Trauma: Golu experiences significant personal loss when her sister Sweety and close friend Bablu are brutally murdered by Munna. This trauma profoundly affects her, transforming her from a bookish, non-violent person into someone who seeks retribution. As she becomes more involved in the criminal underworld of Mirzapur, Golu realizes that violence is often necessary for survival. The lawless, brutal environment forces her to adopt violent means to protect herself and her allies.

Revenge: Driven by the need to avenge the deaths of her loved ones, Golu becomes more violent. Her desire for revenge against those responsible for her pain, particularly the Tripathi family, motivates her actions. Herself and Guddu share a common goal of overthrowing the Tripathi family which unites them in their quest, often requiring ruthless measures.

Consuming Violent Eroticism: If you remember Golu’s intro scene, she is shown masturbating to erotic literature. If you listen closely, the narration involves BDSM where a man is whipping a girl with a belt. Later in the series, she can be seen performing the same act with Chote Tyagi in the second season. So, if you look at it, despite supporting non-violence, Golu has a side that likes to be violent.

Beena Tripathi:

Like her husband Kaleen Bhaiya and Babuji, Beena is not traditionally violent in the sense of engaging in direct physical confrontations. However, her actions demonstrate a different kind of violence, rooted in manipulation, survival, and revenge. She is potrayed as a promiscuous woman but if you look closely, she's the most mysterious character of the series. No one knows what's LURKing in her mind. Let’s analyze Beena Tripathi here:

Manipulation: Beena uses manipulation and psychological tactics to navigate her dangerous environment. Her cunning and strategic thinking often result in harm to others, demonstrating a different form of violence. Beena's actions are often motivated by a need to assert her power and autonomy in a male-dominated environment. Her manipulative strategies contribute to the overall violence. One such example is when she seduces and then manipulates the household worker to kill Munna Bhaiya.

Survival: Trapped in a misogynistic and oppressive household, Beena employs whatever means necessary to survive and protect herself. This includes orchestrating events that lead to violent outcomes, showing her willingness to engage in morally ambiguous actions.

Retribution: After suffering personal violations and indignities, Beena seeks revenge. Her desire for retribution against those who have wronged her leads her to take actions that result in violence. Again, while Beena Tripathi may not be physically violent but, her involvement in and orchestration of violent events reveal her as a complex character who navigate the perilous world of Mirzapur.

Rati Shankar Shukla:

Rati Shankar Shukla plays the employee who does all the hard work but never get his dues from the boss. If you look at the story from his point of view, you’ll realize that he was right all along. He deserved the respect that he wasn’t getting so he demanded it. Let’s analyze the man fascinated with hearing Hindi Phonetics from people he is about to slay:

Power & Control: As a significant figure in the criminal world, just like his rivals, Rati Shankar Shukla uses violence to maintain his authority and control over his territory. Engaged in various illegal activities, including drug trafficking and extortion, Rati Shankar Shukla employs violence to protect his business interests. Eliminating threats and competitors is a necessary part of his operations. Violence is a means to enforce his rule and keep rivals in check.

Respect: Whether you like him or hate him, he was one of the reasons that the Tripathi’s were able to conquer and run Mirzapur. But he wasn’t given the respect he deserved. So, he did what a person born and raised in a war zone would do; Rati Shankar tried to take it all. But he was thrown out of the place. He had to start in a different place from the beginning, establish and sustain a fearsome reputation to run his business. Rati Shankar Shukla's violence is partly a response to the disrespect and humiliation he received which he didn’t deserve.

Sarad Shukla:

Just like Golu Gupta, this guy started as an innocent and studious kid who doesn’t like to get involved in the shuffle. However, ends up being one to run one of the main gangs here. Let’s talk about the things that led him to the path of violence:

Revenge: Sharad's father, Rati Shankar Shukla, is killed by Guddu and Bablu. Also, he is ambitious and seeks to establish himself as a powerful figure from the place which his father always wanted to conquer, Mirzapur. Sharad's violence is driven by a desire to avenge his father's death and restore his family's honor.

Sinister Thinking: Initially, Sharad likes to avoid being violent or being involved in his father’s business. But he is the one to instill the idea of orchestrating an attack on Kaleen Bhaiya when he is outside Mirzapur. He is the one who advises his father to avoid getting Kaleen Bhaiya’s men attacked and wait patiently for the correct time. If you remember, Sharad does that in his intro scene when his father gets a man burnt and comes to him in the car. Sharad is a calculating and strategic individual. His use of violence is often methodical and planned, aimed at destabilizing his enemies and consolidating his power. He uses brutality as a tool to achieve his long-term goals.

Bharat “Bade” Tyagi:

Introduced in the second season, Bharat Tyagi is shown to be more of a businessperson than a violent lunatic like most people. Things take a different turn as the series progresses. Here are the factors that lead to it.

Legacy: As part of the Tyagi family, Bharat is entrenched in a world where violence is a common means of resolving conflicts, running business and maintaining power. This criminal legacy influences his actions and decisions.

Ambition: Bharat's ambition to rise within the criminal hierarchy and assert his dominance drives him to engage in violent acts. Violence becomes a tool to eliminate rivals and expand his influence. Bharat's actions reflect the harsh realities of his surroundings.

Shatrughan “Chote” Tyagi:

Coming to the Bharath’s twin, Chote Tyagi is shown more of a chocolate boy when he is first introduced. However, as the series progresses, we see him turning into Scarface himself. Let’s analyze this change of character:

Family Influence: Like Bharat, Shatrughan is deeply influenced by the Tyagi family's criminal activities. The culture of violence within the family shapes his behavior and actions.

Heartbreak: Shatrughan is introduced as the new love interest of Golu. But she reciprocates by getting him to perform violent sexual acts on herself. Later in the series, he realizes that she’s used him for her own good and he ends up killing his own loved ones. Heartbreak plays a part in the violence that comes from Chote Tyagi.

Subodh Compounder:

Compounder is the most loyal character to his best friend Munna Bhaiya. At the same time, he is seen stabbing people with a Razor. Here is a further analysis of what makes Compounder a menace:

Loyalty: As Munna’s loyal right-hand man, Compounder is influenced by Munna's violent tendencies. His loyalty to Munna drives him to participate in violent acts, often to prove his allegiance and support. His alignment in ideology with Munna makes him more willing to partake in brutal actions.

Coercion: At times, especially towards his end, Compounder's violent actions are a result of manipulation or coercion by Munna and other powerful figures. His loyalty and fear of repercussions push him to comply with violent directives.