GOOD BOY, BAD BOY

ALI FAZAL, THE ACTOR AND NEWLY-MINTED FATHER, ON MIRZAPUR, THE CHARACTERS HE LIKES TO PLAY, AND THE BAD BOY IMAGE HE IS TRYING TO SHAKE OFF

- Priya Pathiyan

Ali Fazal brings layers of complexity to the character of GUDDU PANDIT in Mirzapur. Season 4 of the OTT show is in the works now

If you're a consumer of Indian OTT content, chances are that Guddu Pandit has become an intrinsic part of your mind palace. The character's arc has catapulted across three seasons of Mirzapur-now endearing, now explosive, his actions now understandable, now reprehensible. When actor Ali Fazal first took on the role in the gritty crime drama created for Amazon Prime Video, he admits he already had an inkling that it would be this successful.

After igniting the nation's imagination when it first released in 2018, and acquiring cult status with S2 in 2020, it's unsurprising that Mirzapur's much-awaited S3 became the most-watched show in India during its launch weekend in early July 2024. The four years' wait did not dull the keenness of viewers.