In episode 5, Chhote’s trap and Beena’s scheming threaten to destabilise Guddu’s empire for good.
Akhil Arora, a member of the Film Critics Guild and a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic, who has watched all 10 episodes of Mirzapur season 3. He has been reviewing TV series since 2015 and has written for NDTV and SlashFilm.
Were the third season of Mirzapur to end with Guddu (Ali Fazal) and Golu (Shweta Tripathi Sharma) being thrown out of Mirzapur, this is the moment you can point to as when that downfall began. Both make calamitous errors in the fifth episode “Traahi”. An impatient and underprepared Golu walks into a trap laid by her former lover, Chhote/Fake Badde (Vijay Varma). Reeling under the pressure, Guddu barges into Jaunpur, giving Sharad Shukla (Anjumm Shharma) not only a crucial piece of information but also showcasing how foolish he is. Guddu then compounds that error by erasing the one principle his dead brother, Bablu, had once established. The king of Mirzapur is using again—time to take bets on how long he lasts.
Mirzapur season 3 episode 5—directed by Gurmmeet Singh and written by Avinash Singh and Vijay Narayan Verma—opens with a bit of foreshadowing. As Golu goes to see Robin (Priyanshu Painyuli) to get the money she urgently needs, he notes that high risk equals death in her line of work. Wouldn’t she be better off if she minimised risk? Mirzapur is speaking through Robin at this point, as is clear in hindsight. Golu says that she is going to take “risk”—Kaleen Bhaiya—off the table entirely.
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Golu uses that money to buy henchmen for the mission in Siwan. They are concerned they are going outside their territory and that too without Guddu. But getting paid in advance is enough to convince them. What good is money if you don’t live to see it? The start of episode 5 is old-school Mirzapur: gangsters trying to kill other gangsters. Except one side doesn’t know it’s walking into a trap. As Golu and the team arrive in Siwan, the informant (Anubhav Dixit) leads them straight to the safe house.
They deal with the two guards posted outside quite cleverly in Mirzapur season 3 episode 5. But when they walk in through the front gate, it’s suspiciously empty. Alarm bells ought to have been ringing at this point. Golu takes out another guard and then discovers Kaleen Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi) in bed. It’s only then that Golu feels something is off. But by then, it’s too late. Her men are killed one by one by invisible shooters. A cornered Golu struggles to come up with answers and breaks down, knowing she’s failed. Realising this may well be her untimely end, Golu figures she’s going to take down Kaleen Bhaiya with her. But Chhote has planned for that—he shoots her the minute she walks in.
Meanwhile, in Kathmandu in episode 5, an oblivious Guddu and Shabnam (Shernavaz Jijina) wake up in the same bed.
Cut to the Purvanchal jail in Mirzapur season 3 episode 5, as the poet from episode 2—Raheem (Pallav Singh)—checks in. That’s what you get for insulting politicians in India. He’s given a dressing down by an inmate called Chakubaj (Rajneesh Meruthiya) who refuses to believe that Raheem has been imprisoned for reciting a poem. Naturally, Chakubaj wants to hear a few lines and Raheem better make them funny. Chakubaj gets more than he bargained for—a brave Raheem dresses down Chakubaj with his poem who doesn’t take the insult lightly. Thankfully, Ramakant (Rajesh Tailang) and Gerua (Mukesh Agrohari) come to his rescue.
Following the “attack” in episode 5, Fake Badde has moved Kaleen Bhaiya into the Tyagi household. Sharad wants to know whether Guddu or Golu was leading them. Bharat lies and says neither was there. Sharad doesn’t buy it and feels something is off. Also, how did Fake Badde figure it out? He claims there was frequent movement on the border from the Uttar Pradesh side. Sharad is annoyed that he wasn’t informed but Dadda (Liliput Faruqui) interjects. Siwan belongs to the Tyagis—they don’t report to anyone. Sharad feels it’s not safe for Kaleen Bhaiya to be in Siwan anymore.
At the Tripathi manor in Mirzapur season 3 episode 5, Beena Tripathi (Rasika Dugal) finds the black cat circling her baby boy Lalla (Arjun Khare). She’s terrified and throws a metal glass at it. But when the house help Radhiya (Prashansa Sharma) comes running in, there’s no cat to be seen. Radhiya wonders if Beena saw something again. Beena feels she’s having visions as if the black cat—considered an ill omen—is payback for her actions in what she did to Munna and Kaleen Bhaiya.
Over at the UP–Bihar border in episode 5, Fake Badde and Dadda are taking stock of the security situation. A call comes in from his not-wife Saloni (Neha Sargam) and her daughter Ginni (Nitara Bhambhani), who are wondering when the two will be home. Fake Badde, who would do anything to avoid them, says he has important work given the security breach. When one of his men lets a car with a family pass, Fake Badde gets really angry. This is all for show, of course. He’s merely trying to make it look like that he’s taking the threat seriously.
Back home from his Kathmandu trip in Mirzapur season 3 episode 5, Guddu wonders where Golu is. When both Radhiya and Beena fail to provide a concrete answer, Guddu asks to speak to the new guy and begins making calls. The new guy, Ravikant (Akash Pramanik)—one of the college recruits who are helping them run the weapons factory—tells Guddu that Golu was planning an attack outside Mirzapur and made him buy a lot of ammunition. Guddu is visibly concerned.
Sharad, meanwhile, moves Kaleen Bhaiya to the Shukla manor in Jaunpur in episode 5. There, he’s greeted by Sharad’s mother Shakuntala (Meghna Malik)—they are both in positions they never thought of. She’s treating the man who was responsible for her husband’s death so nicely. Mi casa su casa, Shakuntala adds as she welcomes Kaleen Bhaiya. A call comes in for Sharad, who learns that vehicles with Mirzapur licence plates are in town. Sharad thinks Guddu has figured out that Kaleen Bhaiya is with him.
But Guddu is in Jaunpur because he thinks Sharad must have Golu. When Sharad lets it slip that he might be keeping Kaleen Bhaiya safe, Guddu displays no interest in Mirzapur season 3 episode 5. All he wants right now is Golu. Sharad notes that if he really had Golu, he wouldn’t have let Guddu’s gang walk into Jaunpur so easily. Things heat up as weapons are drawn. Guddu lets slip some info, too, telling Sharad that he has control of opium. Sharad then goads him by saying Guddu has been “using brains for everything”, implying that Golu is running things and that Guddu isn’t the one who’s in charge.
The matter cools down after they both get a call from the mediator Munnawar (Ayaz Khan) in episode 5. Sadly, Mirzapur season 3 is lacking in self-awareness. Episode 5 could’ve easily used this moment for a bit of humour—after all, we have one guy talking through two phones which would lead to an echo. Instead, it’s played straight. Munnawar says they are free to make their own decisions but tells them to be mindful. Since Guddu has gone into Jaunpur, any blood that he spills will be on him, Munnawar notes. That’s enough to make him back down but Guddu warns Sharad that if anything happens to Golu, he’ll hang him publicly. Meanwhile, after Munnawar hangs up, his boss Abbas Ali Mir—on another call—tells him to strengthen his grip on both Jaunpur and Mirzapur. Seems like the West is interested in taking over the East.
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After Guddu leaves in Mirzapur season 3 episode 5, Sharad calls Rauf Lala (Anil George) and confirms that he turned on the deal they made. Lala notes he was promised bail for his opium, but Sharad couldn’t fulfil that promise. Sharad leaves him with a threat.
Back at the Shukla manor in episode 5, Shakuntala helps Kaleen Bhaiya get up in bed and offers him soup. As Sharad enters the room, he laments to his mother that they’ve lost a big piece to Guddu. Shakuntala notes that Sharad’s reach now extends to Lucknow—she’s referring to his new buddy, the Chief Minister. The recovering Kaleen Bhaiya helps them narrow their search. He reveals that Lala brings his drugs into Mirzapur through a network of rivers. Sharad informs the CM’s assistant, Anand (Rohit Tiwari), who in turn alerts the cops.
In Lucknow in Mirzapur season 3 episode 5, as Sharad sits down with CM Madhuri Yadav (Isha Talwar), she thanks him for his monetary contribution to the Aam Bagh project. They discuss how they are both in positions they didn’t wish to inherit from their fathers. This is another scene with Sharad and Madhuri where things seem to be going beyond the professional. An additional level of informality is introduced as Sharad accidentally addresses Madhuri as “tum” not “aap”. In Hindi, as with French, there’s a formal and informal version of “you”. While “aap” is the formal kind, “tum” is the informal one. In the next sentence, Madhuri reciprocates intentionally, suggesting she feels ready for this next stage of their relationship.
Back at the Tripathi manor in episode 5, Golu’s right-hand Tausif (Kundan Kumar) tells Guddu that they’ve spoken to everyone in Jaunpur but found nothing. Golu’s cop father Parshuram Gupta (Shahnawaz Pradhan) says he’s lodged an FIR to trace Golu’s phone. He’s going to Lucknow because HQ isn’t listening to him. As Parshuram leaves, Guddu says that Golu is his responsibility. He’s trying to be apologetic and take the blame for what happened. After all, Parshuram has already lost one daughter—Sweety, in season 1—because she was involved with Guddu. Now, it seems he might lose the other one, too.
As Guddu is beating himself up over it, Beena enters the room in Mirzapur season 3 episode 5. She waves off his concern over Golu and tries to put his mind at rest. To that end, she hands him a packet of cocaine—it will help him “lower his stress”. Guddu declines, for he’s been in such a position before. But the scheming Beena doesn’t give up. She notes that he’s already made a mistake under stress, having told Sharad about the opium. You gave him the upper hand, she adds. Guddu says Golu is more important than drugs.
A determined Beena drives in the nail further. If Guddu is going to cement his position in Purvanchal, he needs to be more careful. Guddu still doesn’t waver and says he’s ready to give up the throne too for Golu. Beena notes that Guddu’s enemies possibly know that and are waiting for him to make a mistake. Were he to show this weakness to the world, Golu’s chances of survival would be significantly lowered.
“No one can challenge Guddu Pandit. This message needs to echo throughout Purvanchal,” she adds in Mirzapur season 3 episode 5. Beena is an expert—she massages Guddu’s ego, feeds his fear, and then eats into his weakness, pressing the cocaine back into his hands. She then leans in and kisses him on the forehead before leaving. This is Game of Thrones Littlefinger-level cunning behaviour. Guddu initially seems to relent but then gives in, hoping his dead brother can forgive him. The old wheels are spinning again and Guddu’s descent into darkness has begun.
Mirzapur season 3 episode 5 is out now on Prime Video.
Stray observations in Mirzapur season 3 episode 5
- It’s too dark to see anything in that opening scene with Golu and Robin. Not the first time it has happened this season.
- For all of Golu’s brains, it’s wild to me how low-tech her operation is. In an era where a simple AirTag and a DJI drone can achieve so much, she is fully reliant on old-school gangster methods.
- In the scene with Saloni and Chhote, it’s obvious that there’s no active phone call on Saloni’s device. The Android lock screen is visible. Guess the director couldn’t be bothered to do it in camera and/or the makers ran out of VFX budget.
- Episode 5 features Munnawar’s boss, Abbas Ali Mir, who was first namechecked in episode 1. He still doesn’t show up on screen, but we do get him in voice form. (The credits don’t list the voice actor, in case you were wondering.)
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