Mirzapur Movie Hits Rs 334 Crore; Divyenndu’s Munna Magic

At the India Today Conclave Mumbai 2026, actor Divyenndu offered a reminder of just how deeply his Mirzapur character has entered real life: a Lucknow policeman reportedly let his car pass a protest barricade simply because he recognised Munna Bhaiya.

The barricade moment

During a session titled The Iconic Villain of Mirzapur Everyone Love on Saturday, the 43-year-old recalled filming in Lucknow during the CAA protests. The crew had been asked to wrap up and return to their hotel, barely 200 metres away, but a barricade blocked the way.

The driver explained that the hotel was right ahead, but the officer asked for a U-turn. Divyenndu then rolled down the window and asked if they could just go through. The cop’s response, as Divyenndu remembers it, was immediate:

“Oh, Munna Tripathi hai, khol do.”

There were no pleasantries exchanged, he said, just a quick wave through.

Divyenndu added that Munna’s edge still comes in handy when fan attention gets overwhelming. He sometimes has to “switch on my internal Munna” and give a look that says back off.

A villain’s long afterlife

That recognition is part of a larger moment for the Mirzapur universe. Mirzapur: The Movie released in cinemas on September 4 with Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Rasika Dugal and Divyenndu among the returning cast.

According to box-office estimates reported by The Times of India, the film had collected around ₹334.62 crore worldwide by its 31st day. The number shows how effectively the franchise’s streaming-era characters made the leap to the big screen.

OTT’s set-thaali breakup

Divyenndu framed the shift beyond Mirzapur. Asked whether the industry should thank OTT for changing cinema, he described the old formula-driven model as a “set thaali”: two vegetables, dal, pickle, papad, rice and chapati—every element predictable, including a final dance number.

Then he summarised what changed:

• Formula era: audiences could almost predict each scene, song and dance beat.
• OTT arrival: created room for real stories, real characters and real directors.
• Viewer filter: not everything on OTT works; audiences now reward authenticity and originality.

“Any kind of originality is really priced today on OTT and on the big screen,” he said. The quote matters because Munna Tripathi is hardly a conventional Hindi-film hero. He is impulsive, aggressive and morally messy—yet audiences have stayed with him, which supports the actor’s point about specificity and conviction.

Beyond Munna Bhaiya

Divyenndu first became widely known as Liquid in Pyaar Ka Punchnama, and has since moved through films such as Chashme Baddoor, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Batti Gul Meter Chalu and Madgaon Express. On streaming, he has appeared in Life Hill Gayi and Glory apart from Mirzapur.

That range matters because a character this recognisable can threaten to become a cage. Munna Bhaiya may keep following him into real-world encounters, but his filmography is built to outrun any single role.

Source: India Today