TV, OTT and now film actress Harshita Gaur has addressed the role of women in Mirzapur The Movie, acknowledging that the franchise is male-driven but insisting that its female characters are not there merely to fill space. The actor, who plays Dimpy Pandit, said every character has been written with a purpose and contributes to the story when they appear on screen.
Speaking exclusively to India TV, Harshita also discussed the film’s large ensemble and how its many characters have been handled.
Harshita Gaur says every character serves a purpose
While talking about the women of Mirzapur series and film, the actress said, “It’s a 2.5-hour film. There are many characters. I must say, even if you see a glimpse of that character, even if you see one scene of that character, there’s no character in the film which is just for the sake of it. Every time you see any character in the film, they serve a purpose.”
She acknowledged that handling so many characters in the same story is challenging, particularly because Mirzapur has built such a large world around its characters. “It’s also very difficult to pull off, because this world has a lot of people in it,” Harshita added.
Harshita Gaur addresses Mirzapur’s male-driven narrative
The actor was also asked about the franchise being largely male-driven and whether its female characters could end up being underplayed in the film. “See again, let’s consider the film as a very different entity. It’s there for your entertainment. Film is obviously very male-driven. But again, I’m saying it does not matter because every character has been written so beautifully that whenever they come on the screen, you see them. None of the female characters or otherwise the other characters are there just for the sake of it. They come and they serve a purpose. And that’s why it goes back to the writing,” she said.
Harshita pointed out that the longer format of the series allowed several characters to evolve across the second and third seasons. She specifically mentioned Golu, played by Shweta Tripathi Sharma, and Rasika Dugal’s character Beena Tripathi.
“Yes, it’s male-driven, the show. But the show is a longer format, so every character also gets a lot to play on. Golu’s character became very big going forward in 2 and 3, and Rasika’s character and even the other characters from Season 1 grew a lot in 2 and 3. All of that happened,” she said.
Harshita Gaur on fans wanting more female characters
Harshita believes the audience’s demand to see more of the women in Mirzapur is itself proof that the characters have made an impact. as she said, “But will the women be underplayed or will the women not be appreciated? I don’t think that’s going to happen. When fans say that they want to see more of us, that’s a great sign. That’s obviously because why they say that they want to see more of us is because something has been given to them that they have really liked.”
She further explained why she feels that demand from fans matters, as she said, “Imagine if the girls were only there for the sake of it and did not give value, did not add value to a viewer’s experience. They would have never also asked for more. The reason they’re asking for more is because whatever has been given to them, they really value it.”
Harshita Gaur explains what makes Mirzapur characters real
The actor also spoke about what makes the characters in Mirzapur feel real. According to her, the franchise works because its characters are not restricted to a single personality trait and behave differently depending on the people around them.
“I think Mirzapur has a very beautiful story. There are many emotions. If you really see, you navigate through a lot of emotions. You see a father-son relationship, which is very different from a mother-son relationship. You see that dynamics in the house. You also see women who are against violence, but with Golu’s character, you also see a woman that you probably will not conventionally take for somebody who can be a bahubali, like Golu’s character. Her essence, how she looks, you will never take her as a conventional person who can drive a bahubali system,” she said.
She also pointed to Kaleen Bhaiya and his relationship with Beena as an example of the contrasting sides that make the characters believable. “You also see Kaleen Bhaiya, who is literally the king of Mirzapur. People are scared of him, but he’s the only one who’s sort of a timid, sometimes child in front of Beena, his wife,” Harshita said.
She concluded, “All the characters have very different shades to them. You see them, and that’s why they feel real. I don’t want to specifically comment on other films, but I feel like Mirzapur has a lot of these characters that feel very real because you’re not seeing only one shade of them. They’re different with different characters. They’re different with different people around them, and that’s what makes them very real.”
Speaking exclusively to India TV, Harshita stressed that the franchise’s treatment of its women ultimately comes down to the writing and the purpose given to each character.
For the unversed, Mirzapur: The Movie brings back several established characters from the Prime Video series, including Harshita as Dimpy, Shweta Tripathi Sharma as Golu, Rasika Dugal as Beena and Shriya Pilgaonkar as Sweety. Directed by Gurmmeet Singh, the film was released in theatres on September 4.
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