Headlien option: ‘Wish they hadn’t killed me,’ Vikrant Massey on Mirzapur exit, says show had 85% male cast-crew who indulged in male ego
“I wish they hadn’t killed me,” Vikrant Massey recently admitted while speaking about the web show Mirzapur. Massey appeared only in the first season of the show, as his character, Bablu Pandit, was killed off during that season. Fans had been wondering whether he would be a part of Mirzapur: The Movie, but the film’s recently released teaser made it clear that he has been replaced by Jitendra Kumar.
‘The show had 85% men involved’
Recently, during a conversation with FLO Bangalore Official, Vikrant reflected on the show and how it was dominated by a male cast and crew, who, according to him, indulged in patriarchy and male ego. He said, “When Mirzapur came my way, it was actually just a bunch of enthusiastic people coming together. There were a lot of wonderful women who were a part of it too, but primarily the show had, say, maybe 85% men involved, both in front of and behind the camera. It was simply a group of people who came together and said, ‘Let’s make this show.”
“So it was just a bunch of people getting together, going out there and indulging our testosterones, our male egos, or patriarchy, if you could say,” he added.
Vikrant Massey not part of Mirzapur film
Vikrant Massey played the role of Ali Fazal’s onscreen brother, Bablu Pandit, in the series. His character brought gravitas and a level-headed approach to the story. He was the strategic mind behind Guddu Pandit. It was Bablu Pandit’s death in the first season that triggered the all-out rivalry between college-going Guddu Pandit and Munna Bhaiya (Divyenndu), the son of Kaleen Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi). The show gained massive popularity after its release in 2018 and has since gone on to have three successful seasons.
Meanwhile, Mirzapur has become one of the rare Indian web shows to be adapted for the big screen. Since Mirzapur: The Movie is set in 2018, it brings back several beloved characters who died in earlier seasons, much to the excitement of fans. Sweety Gupta, played by Shriya Pilgaonkar, who died in Season 1 alongside Massey’s Bablu Pandit, has reprised her role in the film. Even Divyenndu’s Munna, who died at the end of Season 2, is alive again in the film.
However, Massey’s character is being played by Panchayat star Jitendra Kumar in the film. Fans got a glimpse of the same in the film’s recently released teaser.
About Mirzapur: The Movie
Mirzapur: The Movie is directed by Gurmeet Singh, written by Puneet Krishna, and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under the banner of Excel Entertainment. The film is co-produced by Kassim Jagmagia and Vishal Ramchandani. Mirzapur: The Movie is set for a theatrical release in Hindi and Telugu on September 4, 2026.