Nitin Mahesh Joshi returns as Raja Bhaiya in Mirzapur: The Movie

In the ruthless world of Mirzapur, where power, betrayal and bhaukaal rule the day, actor Nitin Mahesh Joshi returns as Raja Bhaiya, taking audiences back to the character’s early days as the cult series makes its way to the big screen with Mirzapur: The Movie. When asked how it feels to take a character audiences already know from the series and bring him to theatres, he says, “It’s quite exciting and challenging at the same time. The love that the audience has for Mirzapur means you know you have to live up to their expectations, while also giving them something fresh and keeping the flavour of the characters alive. It feels like we’re back in time with a time machine, only this time the arena is different.”

Nitin Mahesh Joshi on Raja Bhaiya’s early days in Mirzapur: The Movie

So, how different is Raja’s world in the film compared with the series? “As we all know by now, the film is set during the timeline of Season 1. So, from Raja’s perspective, it’s a time when he is still back in his earlier days at the Tripathi Haveli, with all his mischief and whimsy, before all the horrific turns take place in his life and Bauji comes to know about his affair with Beena.”

Mirzapur is known for its grit and bhaukaal. Speaking about how that scale has translated to cinema, Mihir says, “Pardey phatne waale hain! Our captain, Guru sir, along with the entire team and all of us, have gone all out! For all the love that we have received, it’s our turn to give it back. Iss baar bade parde par!”

Talking about his experience of working with Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Rasika Dugal and the rest of the cast again, he says, “Pankaj sir is just pure love and soulful energy all around him, and it’s always a learning experience working with Rasika ma’am. She is so bubbly and curious all the time, but as soon as the take is called, she just shifts into Beena, which is pure magic to watch. This time, I also had the pleasure of sitting and interacting with Munna Bhaiya a lot. We spoke about his journey at FTII, had some deep conversations about life, and he is just such a giving actor who pushes his co-actors with love. Bauji is fun as well. If you sit down with him, he will tell you all about his trips around the world, where he has travelled on foot with a backpack. As everyone was staying in the same hotel, we had great fun, and all our breakfasts and dinners used to feel like family gatherings.”

Asked if there is a particular scene or sequence that he is especially excited for audiences to experience in theatres, Nitin says, “Well, there is one! But I feel we should talk about it once the film is out. So, yes, I will wait for the audience’s reaction to that.”

Reflecting on how playing Raja has changed his career or the way audiences perceive him, he says, “Well, playing Raja has given me more than it has given the audience, I feel. It has given me the confidence and experience of working with a great team and a bunch of genuinely very talented actors. But as far as the audience’s perception goes, they still know Raja, not Nitin. So, for that, I feel I will get to them in some time. My best is yet to come. For now, I’m happy working hard.”

Giving a glimpse into his upcoming projects, Nitin says, “I’m doing a film with Kritika Kamra and Jitin Gulati, which is called Dumbbell. It’s a beautiful story. I have also written a film which is currently in talks with some actors. Apart from that, The Bureaucrat is a project for Amazon Prime Video that I have been cast in, and it will be out next year.”

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