Tigmanshu Dhulia has questioned how the Hindi heartland is shown in crime dramas. The filmmaker said that Mirzapur presents a version of the region that is “heavily exaggerated” and does not match reality. Tigmanshu, who is currently promoting his latest directorial Ghamasaan, also said that different parts of North and Central India cannot be treated as one common setting.
Speaking to Zoom, Tigmanshu explained that the location is an important part of his films and that he likes to give different places their own identity. He said, “The Hindi heartland is not just one location. Uttar Pradesh is different from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Even there, there are different regions. Location is a huge character in my films. I like doing that because I am inspired by American movies.”
Tigmanshu was discussing Ghamasaan, which is set against the backdrop of the Hindi heartland and follows a dacoit and an IPS officer. The filmmaker said that he prefers to show the differences between regions instead of presenting the entire belt through one broad image.
When asked about Mirzapur, Tigmanshu did not hold back about its portrayal of crime and lawlessness. He said the series took the reality of the region much further for its story.
“I can’t speak about Mirzapur because whatever was shown was heavily exaggerated; whatever was shown doesn’t really happen. Katte ban rahe hain, arms ban rahe hain, aise nahi bante hain. Complete lawlessness joh dikhayi hai, voh bhi nahi hoti hai aise (They’re making weapons, they’re making arms — that’s not how it’s done. The kind of complete lawlessness that has been shown isn’t like this either). Gangs of Wasseypur was closer.”
Mirzapur, created by Karan Anshuman and Puneet Krishna, is set in the fictional Purvanchal town of Mirzapur and follows the Tripathi family’s criminal empire. The series stars Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal and Divyenndu in key roles.
The franchise recently moved to the big screen with Mirzapur: The Movie, which also features Ravi Kishan and Jitendra Kumar as new additions. The film has crossed ₹300 crore worldwide.
Coming to Ghamasaan, the crime drama was released on September 11 on ZEE5. The film starred Pratik Gandhi, Arshad Warsi, Rajpal Yadav and Ishita Dutta in important roles.
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