Mirzapur Season 3 brings back Prime Video’s violent crime saga with a bigger fight for the throne, but its reception was mixed, and we rate it 3 out of 5. Pankaj Tripathi’s Kaleen Bhaiya, Ali Fazal’s Guddu Pandit and Shweta Tripathi Sharma’s Golu are all back, with new gangs, political schemes and betrayals added to the mix.
About Mirzapur
Mirzapur is one of the most popular crime thrillers on Amazon Prime Video. It is set in the lawless town of Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, which Akhandanand Tripathi, known as Kaleen Bhaiya, rules through an illegal arms and drugs business. His son Munna Bhaiya is desperate to prove himself as the next king of Mirzapur. When Munna’s actions at a wedding cause trouble with a respectable family, the Pandits, the brothers Guddu and Bablu are pulled into the violent world of Mirzapur, and a fierce battle for power begins. The show mixes crime, politics and family rivalry in a rough corner of India.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Title | Mirzapur Season 3 |
| Platform | Amazon Prime Video |
| Premiere | July 5, 2024 (all episodes at once) |
| Episodes | 10, about an hour each |
| Language | Hindi |
| Genre | Crime thriller, action drama |
| Directors | Gurmmeet Singh and Anand Iyer |
| Series creator | Karan Anshuman |
| Story | Puneet Krishna and Karan Anshuman |
| Age rating | TV-MA |
| Our rating | 3 / 5 |
Season 1 had nine episodes and Season 2 had ten, so the franchise now stands at 29 episodes.
Mirzapur Season 3 Cast
| Actor | Character | Role in the story |
|---|---|---|
| Pankaj Tripathi | Akhandanand ‘Kaleen Bhaiya’ Tripathi | The former king of Mirzapur, whose return after his injury surprises everyone |
| Ali Fazal | Guddu Pandit | Now on the throne and facing the weight of power |
| Shweta Tripathi Sharma | Gajagamini ‘Golu’ Gupta | Guddu’s partner in the fight for control, with a bigger role this season |
| Rasika Dugal | Beena Tripathi | Kaleen Bhaiya’s wife, a sharp player in the family’s power game |
| Vijay Varma | Shatrughan Tyagi | A rival with his own plans for the region |
| Isha Talwar | Madhuri Yadav | A political figure whose rise shapes the new power struggle |
| Anjumm Shharma | Sharad Shukla | A man shaped by loss, as the actor has described his character |
| Pramod Pathak | JP Yadav | A political heavyweight |
| Priyanshu Painyuli | Robin | An ally on the Pandit side of the story |
| Rajesh Tailang | Ramakant Pandit | Guddu’s father, the upright lawyer whose family was pulled into Mirzapur’s violence |
The wider cast includes Sheeba Chaddha, Manu Rishi, Anil George, Anangsha Biswas, Meghna Malik, Shahnawaz Pradhan and Lilliput. Fans should note that Munna Bhaiya (Divyenndu) does not feature in this season, and his absence was one of the most common complaints.
Plot (Spoiler-Free)
Season 3 picks up with the battle for Mirzapur’s throne still raging. Guddu and Golu hold the seat, but holding it proves harder than winning it. New rival gangs, political schemes and shocking betrayals test them, and each side must decide how far it will go to stay in control. Director Gurmmeet Singh has described the season as being about whether the new rulers can justify the power they wield, since power does strange things to people.
The season is built around a few big questions: can Guddu and Golu hold the throne, who will gain the political upper hand, and what role will a recovering Kaleen Bhaiya play?
Key Moments Without Spoilers
- Kaleen Bhaiya’s return. His comeback after his injury surprises everyone and shifts the balance of power.
- New alliances. Old enemies clash violently while unexpected partnerships form.
- A more dangerous fight. The struggle for control becomes less predictable with each episode.
- Politics in the foreground. Chief minister and political manoeuvres matter as much as guns this time.
Why Watch Mirzapur Season 3?
- Powerful performances. Pankaj Tripathi’s Kaleen Bhaiya remains a highlight, and Ali Fazal’s Guddu is more eccentric and haunted than before.
- Family loyalty and violent crime. The show still balances blood ties against ambition.
- New characters and twists. The ensemble keeps growing, and the finale sets up further conflict.
How Mirzapur Season 3 Was Received
This is the part of the story fans should know before pressing play: reception was mixed. After two warmly received seasons, the third drew more criticism than praise.
| Source | Verdict |
|---|---|
| The Week | 2.5/5, said the series seems to have lost the plot |
| The Quint | 3/5, felt a lot happens but little progresses |
| India TV | 3.5/5 |
| Free Press Journal | 3.5/5, called it a must-watch for chaos and drama lovers |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 22% critics score from 9 reviews at the time of writing |
Common complaints were slow pacing, an overstuffed plot with too many sub-plots, less shock value than before, and the absence of Munna Bhaiya. Anjumm Shharma has defended the season, saying the characters have changed and that reduced violence and strong language affected how audiences reacted. Fans of the earlier seasons were more forgiving than critics, and many called Ali Fazal’s performance the best part.
Pros
- Ali Fazal’s performance. Guddu is the emotional engine of the season, and Fazal plays his eccentric, burdened side with conviction.
- Pankaj Tripathi as Kaleen Bhaiya. Even with reduced screen time, his dry menace and presence still lift every scene he is in.
- A bigger role for Golu. Shweta Tripathi Sharma gets room to show the character’s growth, and she is strongest when she is not forcing the hard-gangster act.
- Political layers. Moving the fight from guns to politics gives the world new stakes.
- A strong ensemble. Rasika Dugal, Vijay Varma, Isha Talwar and Anjumm Shharma all get meaningful moments.
- Familiar atmosphere. The gritty, dusty feel of Purvanchal and the sharp dialogue are intact.
- A finale that sets up more. Viewers who stay till the end get a clear route into a possible next season.
Cons
- Slow, circular plotting. Critics noted that a lot happens but barely anything progresses.
- Too many sub-plots. The ambition of the writing creates tangled threads that some reviewers compared to a colour-coded spreadsheet.
- Missing Munna Bhaiya. Many viewers felt the show lost its most charismatic troublemaker.
- Less of Kaleen Bhaiya. Audience reviews complained that he was reduced to something close to a side character.
- Reduced shock value. The violence and strong language that defined earlier seasons are toned down, which some fans found disappointing.
- Length. Ten hour-long episodes feel stretched to many viewers.
- Familiar beats. Some critics saw the season as old wine in a new bottle, with echoes of earlier plots.
Our Review
Mirzapur Season 3 is a watchable but uneven return. The series arrived with huge expectations after two seasons that fans loved, and it is hard to live up to that. The new season does not repeat the explosive energy of the first two. It slows down, talks more, and tries to show what power does to the people who finally get it.
That idea is a good one, and the best parts of the season come from it. Guddu is no longer the angry young man from Season 1. He is heavier, more paranoid and more lost, and Ali Fazal makes this change believable. Golu, too, gets space to grow. Whenever the show focuses on these two and the burden of leadership, it finds its footing.
The trouble is the structure. The season spreads itself across many gangs, politicians and side characters, and the story rarely moves forward at the speed you expect from a crime thriller. Several episodes feel like they are circling the same questions. The absence of Munna Bhaiya is felt strongly, because he supplied much of the earlier seasons’ humour and unpredictability, and Kaleen Bhaiya’s slower, quieter presence does not fully fill the gap.
The production values remain solid. The locations, costumes and background score keep the world believable, and the dialogue still has some memorable lines. But the violence is more restrained than in earlier seasons, which will please some viewers and disappoint others.
In the end, this is a season for loyal fans. If you loved Seasons 1 and 2, you will want to see how the story continues and will find enough here to enjoy. If you are new to the series, start from Season 1, because Season 3 leans heavily on what came before.
Our Rating
3 / 5
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Performances | 4 / 5 |
| Story and writing | 2.5 / 5 |
| Pacing | 2.5 / 5 |
| Direction and atmosphere | 3.5 / 5 |
| Action and violence | 3 / 5 |
| Rewatch value | 3 / 5 |
Should You Watch Mirzapur Season 3?
Watch it if you loved Seasons 1 and 2, enjoy Ali Fazal and Pankaj Tripathi, and want to see how the power struggle plays out.
Skip it or lower expectations if you want the fast, shocking energy of Season 1, or you are new to the series and have not seen the earlier seasons.
Watch order: Season 1, then Season 2, then Season 3. Season 3 depends heavily on the earlier story.
Our Recommendation: What to Watch Next
If Mirzapur Season 3 left you wanting a sharper crime drama, we recommend these.
| Show | Why we recommend it | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Paatal Lok Season 2 (Prime Video) | Our top pick. A tighter, more emotional crime thriller with excellent performances by Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh and Tillotama Shome, plus real social and political depth. Critics received it better than Mirzapur Season 3 | 4 / 5 |
| Paatal Lok Season 1 (Prime Video) | Watch this first if you have not seen it. Gritty, grim and gripping | See our review |
| Sacred Games (Netflix) | A dark crime saga mixing gangsters, politics and mystery | Not reviewed here |
| Delhi Crime (Netflix) | A grounded police procedural for viewers who prefer realism over gangster drama | Not reviewed here |
| Aashram (MX Player) | Another UP-flavoured power-and-corruption drama | Not reviewed here |
Why Paatal Lok first? Mirzapur Season 3 and Paatal Lok Season 2 both deal with power and corruption, but Paatal Lok trades gang spectacle for sharper writing and character. Critics rated it noticeably higher, and it runs eight episodes of about 40 minutes instead of ten hour-long ones. If Mirzapur Season 3 felt too slow or overstuffed, Paatal Lok is a better use of your weekend.
Final Verdict
Mirzapur Season 3 is a watchable but disappointing follow-up that works best for existing fans. Ali Fazal and Pankaj Tripathi give it weight, and the idea of showing what power does to those who win it is strong. But the pacing is slow, the plot is overcrowded, and Munna Bhaiya’s absence leaves a hole. Expect a solid performance-driven crime drama rather than the explosive show that made Mirzapur famous.
Final rating: 3 / 5. Watch it for the performances. For a stronger crime thriller right now, we recommend Paatal Lok Season 2.
FAQs
When did Mirzapur Season 3 release? July 5, 2024, on Amazon Prime Video, with all ten episodes released together.
How many episodes does Season 3 have? Ten episodes of about an hour each.
Who directed Mirzapur Season 3? Gurmmeet Singh and Anand Iyer. The series was created by Karan Anshuman.
Who stars in Mirzapur Season 3? Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rasika Dugal, Vijay Varma, Isha Talwar, Anjumm Shharma, Priyanshu Painyuli, Rajesh Tailang and others.
Is Munna Bhaiya in Season 3? No. His absence was one of the most common viewer complaints.
Is Kaleen Bhaiya in Season 3? Yes, Pankaj Tripathi returns, but some viewers felt his role was smaller than before.
Do I need to watch Seasons 1 and 2 first? Yes. Season 3 continues directly from the earlier story and is hard to follow without it.
Is Season 3 as good as the first two? Most critics and many viewers say no. It received mixed reviews, though fans of the series still found enough to enjoy.
Is Mirzapur Season 3 violent? Yes, it is rated TV-MA, though reports say it is less violent and uses less strong language than earlier seasons.
Is it suitable for children? No. It is for mature audiences.
Will there be a Season 4? The season ends with room for more story. We have not confirmed a Season 4 announcement here, so check Prime Video for the latest news.
Where can I watch it? Only on Amazon Prime Video.
What should I watch after Mirzapur Season 3? We recommend Paatal Lok, starting with Season 1 and then Season 2.