The season finale—episode 10—features a fully transformed Radhiya at the very end.
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.
As was the case last time around, the third season of Mirzapur leaves viewers with a tease of what’s to come. Right at the very end, after the credits have rolled on episode 10—the season 3 finale—a beloved supporting character makes their return. It’s not as dramatic as the post-credits scene attached to the end of season 2, which revealed that Bharat “Badde” Tyagi was the one who had actually been killed in the shootout and that his twin brother Shatrughan “Chhote” Tyagi was passing as him. But it nevertheless sets up a tantalising conflict between two strong-headed individuals.
Spoilers ahead for all of Mirzapur season 3.
Mirzapur season 3 review: overcrowded and overpowered
Afraid of evolving, the overlong third season of Mirzapur doesn’t know how to best utilise its principal characters, let alone the giant ensemble at its disposal.
Mirzapur 3 post-credits scene: the rise of Radhiya
Following the dramatic conclusion, the season 3 post-credits scene takes us to a quarry in an undisclosed location. (It was filmed at a construction site in Powai, Mumbai, but there’s no hint of where it’s actually set. Somewhere in Uttar Pradesh, if I had to guess.) A bare-chested worker, with a hammer on his shoulder, walks past a truck and a bulldozer and up to a man who’s got his back to a camera. He addresses him as “Khan Sir” and informs him that someone has come to see him.
As “Khan Sir” walks in the Mirzapur season 3 post-credits scene—with a stick in his hand—a woman reads off a book in voice-over. Here’s how the subtitles translate the Hindi poem: “To know your strength, you have to be broken. To know your importance, you’ve to be forgotten. To find those you can love, you have to lose yourself. I am learning to read people. Because I’ve heard faces reveal more than books.” That translation, I feel, minimises the lack of surety the author feels.
Here’s how I see it: “To know one’s strength, perhaps one has to break down. To know one’s importance, perhaps one has to be forgotten. To find those one can love, perhaps one has to lose oneself. I am learning the skill of reading. Perhaps more is written on the face than in books.” (Hindi poetry is hardly my forte, so if you’re an expert, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.)
Mirzapur 3 post-credits scene: the return of Khan
More importantly, who’s reading the poem in the Mirzapur season 3 post-credits scene? Of course, it’s the former house help Radhiya (Prashansa Sharma). Ever since she made Gajgamini “Golu” Gupta’s introduction this season, Radhiya had been on a mission to be more like her. First, in episode 3, she got a book as a gift from Golu after admitting that she was unable to fulfil her college dream. In episode 6, she tries on Golu’s clothes to feel like her. Then, in episode 9, she tried fancy wine at the Chief Minister’s residence.
Now, she’s chopped her hair off. Sporting blue jeans and a kurta, with a rolled-up jacket on top, Radhiya is essentially Golu: Part II in the Mirzapur season 3 post-credits scene. Her empowerment journey is complete. As “Khan Sir” approaches her, Radhiya tells him that Beena Tripathi—the woman she serves—wants to talk to him. Who is “Khan Sir”? It’s Maqbool Khan (Shaji Choudhary).
Maqbool honourably served Akhandanand “Kaleen Bhaiya” Tripathi for years until Phoolchand “Munna” Tripathi erred and killed his mother while trying to kill his nephew in season 2. In response, Maqbool planned to kill Satyanand “Bauji” Tripathi, but Beena used the opportunity to nail her terroriser. Since then, Maqbool has been on the run.
Now, Beena needs his help. In the season 3 finale, the expert manipulator and planner got outplayed by her mother-in-law and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Madhuri Yadav. She revealed her cards too early and found herself back with Kaleen Bhaiya, the man she escaped from in the first place. Maqbool would’ve once loved to kill Kaleen Bhaiya, but does he still want that? That’s a question for Mirzapur season 4 to answer.
All 10 episodes of Mirzapur season 3 are out now on Prime Video.
- Agatha All Along episode 5: what time is it out? – October 9, 2024
- The Penguin episode 3: what time is it out? – October 6, 2024
- CTRL review: scattershot – October 4, 2024
What do you think?