Ali Fazal opens up about Mirzapur - The Movie: 'The original Season 1 cast is back'; says Guddu Bhaiya changed his life completely
ETimes | June 19, 2026 7:39 AM CST
Ali Fazal is gearing up for the release of Mirzapur : The Movie, one of the most anticipated projects for fans of the hit crime drama franchise. In a recent interview, the actor opened up about the decision to bring Mirzapur to the big screen, revealing that the idea initially came as a surprise even to the cast.
'We never imagined a film would be made'Speaking about the transition from a successful web series to a feature film, Ali admitted that the team had never anticipated such a move.
"That was quite a surprise because we never thought about it. Nothing like this has happened in India before. It's an experiment that we're doing, and hopefully we'll be able to bring everyone along with us," he told Pinkvilla.
The actor added that the film will revisit the familiar world that audiences have loved since the show's debut.
Original cast to returnWithout revealing too many details, Ali hinted that fans can expect to see several familiar faces in the film.
"It's an entry back into the world where we started. The entire original cast from Season 1 is back. There's logic to it all, but I won't say more than that," he shared.
Ali also clarified that the movie is connected to the events of the series and is not a random spin-off. "Everything is related. It has to be," he said.
Mirzapur became a cult phenomenonReflecting on the franchise's massive success, Ali said he never imagined Mirzapur would grow into such a large cultural phenomenon.
"Even Season 1 was an experiment for me because I had never done a role like Guddu Bhaiya before. Nobody had seen me in that avatar. It changed everything drastically," he said.
According to the actor, the popularity of the show went far beyond expectations. "It started behaving like a film. It became too much of a cult."
How Guddu Bhaiya changed audience perceptionAli revealed that audiences now strongly associate him with the rugged and muscular image of Guddu Bhaiya.
"When I go to smaller towns, people get upset if I'm not built like Guddu. They say, 'You've become so thin. What happened?' They expect me to always look like that character," he said.
The actor believes this reaction is tied to conventional ideas of masculinity. "People still have this image that a man should look physically imposing, whether it's Sunny Deol or now Guddu Bhaiya."
The challenge of body transformationsAli also spoke about the physical demands of switching between different roles and body types.
"The body changes every year. It depends on your diet, and the transition period is very frustrating. Right now, I'm in that transition phase. We recently finished Mirzapur, and it takes a toll. Sometimes it takes six months or more for your body to adapt," he explained.
Mirzapur: The Movie is slated to release on September 4 and marks the first time the hugely successful streaming franchise will make its way to the big screen.
'We never imagined a film would be made'Speaking about the transition from a successful web series to a feature film, Ali admitted that the team had never anticipated such a move.
"That was quite a surprise because we never thought about it. Nothing like this has happened in India before. It's an experiment that we're doing, and hopefully we'll be able to bring everyone along with us," he told Pinkvilla.
The actor added that the film will revisit the familiar world that audiences have loved since the show's debut.
Original cast to returnWithout revealing too many details, Ali hinted that fans can expect to see several familiar faces in the film.
"It's an entry back into the world where we started. The entire original cast from Season 1 is back. There's logic to it all, but I won't say more than that," he shared.
Ali also clarified that the movie is connected to the events of the series and is not a random spin-off. "Everything is related. It has to be," he said.
Mirzapur became a cult phenomenonReflecting on the franchise's massive success, Ali said he never imagined Mirzapur would grow into such a large cultural phenomenon.
"Even Season 1 was an experiment for me because I had never done a role like Guddu Bhaiya before. Nobody had seen me in that avatar. It changed everything drastically," he said.
According to the actor, the popularity of the show went far beyond expectations. "It started behaving like a film. It became too much of a cult."
How Guddu Bhaiya changed audience perceptionAli revealed that audiences now strongly associate him with the rugged and muscular image of Guddu Bhaiya.
"When I go to smaller towns, people get upset if I'm not built like Guddu. They say, 'You've become so thin. What happened?' They expect me to always look like that character," he said.
The actor believes this reaction is tied to conventional ideas of masculinity. "People still have this image that a man should look physically imposing, whether it's Sunny Deol or now Guddu Bhaiya."
The challenge of body transformationsAli also spoke about the physical demands of switching between different roles and body types.
"The body changes every year. It depends on your diet, and the transition period is very frustrating. Right now, I'm in that transition phase. We recently finished Mirzapur, and it takes a toll. Sometimes it takes six months or more for your body to adapt," he explained.
Mirzapur: The Movie is slated to release on September 4 and marks the first time the hugely successful streaming franchise will make its way to the big screen.
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