Tigmanshu Dhulia says Mirzapur is ‘heavily exaggerated’, doesn’t reflect Hindi hinterland reality; here's why | Bollywood

Tigmanshu Dhulia is no stranger to stories rooted in the Hindi heartland, but the filmmaker believes there is a tendency to view the region through the lens of shows such as Mirzapur. While discussing his latest directorial Ghamasaan, which revolves around a dacoit and an IPS officer, Tigmanshu called the portrayal of the Hindi hinterland in the popular series “exaggerated” and explained why he prefers to treat locations as characters in his films.Tigmanshu says Mirzapur is exaggeratedIn an interview with Zoom, Tigmanshu 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.”He added, “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 is a Hindi-language crime thriller series created by Karan Anshuman and Puneet Krishna. Set in the fictional Purvanchal town of Mirzapur, the series revolves around the Tripathi family’s criminal empire and the power struggles, violence and rivalries surrounding it. Starring Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Divyenndu and Shweta Tripathi Sharma, the show became known for its gritty depiction of crime and the Hindi heartland. Recently, the series was also adapted for the big screen, titled Mirzapur The Movie. Apart from the series' characters, Ravi Kishan is one of the new additions to the cast of the movie. The film received positive reviews from the critics and has emerged as one of the biggest successes of the year. The film has collected over ₹300 crore worldwide in just 17 days.About GhamasaanWritten by Piiyush Singh and Ram Yash Singh and directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, the crime drama is based on dacoit Dadua; the film stars Pratik Gandhi, Arshad Warsi, Rajpal Yadav and Ishita Dutta in pivotal roles. Ghamasaan first premiered at MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, then at Cinevesture International Film Festival in Chandigarh, and then screened at 16th Chicago South Asian Film Festival.The film was released on 11 September 2026 on ZEE5 and opened to mixed reviews from the critics.