'Mirzapur 2' to release on October 23

Season two of the popular crime drama, Mirzapur, will release on October 23, cast member Ali Fazal confirmed on Monday.

The date announcement came thorough a special video featuring Fazal's voice. In the nearly minute-long video, the actor, who plays Guddu bhaiya, describes two kinds of people — dead and alive — and then a third kind, "wounded".

"Hum se sab chheen liye aur humein zinda chhod diye. Galti kiye (They took everything from me and left me alive. Big mistake)," he concluded with a warning.

Actors Pankaj Tripathi, Divyenndu, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rasika Dugal and Harshita Shekhar Gaur will return reprising their roles from the first season, as will Amit Sial, Anjum Sharma, Sheeba Chaddha, Manu Rishi Chadha and Rajesh Tailang.

The new season has some interesting additions, too, with Vijay Varma, Priyanshu Painyuli and Isha Talwar joining the cast. Season two is directed by Gurmmeet Singh and Mihir Desai.

Talking about the new season, Rasika said: "The ‘Mirzapur' audience is very loyal. The first question to any of my posts on social media is always 'Mirzapur season 2 kab aayega'. So am happy that we are finally bringing season 2. I am sure they will feel the wait has been worth it, as season 2 has a lot to offer. They will get to meet their favourite characters again and will also be introduced to some very interesting new ones. On my part, I thoroughly enjoyed being Beena Tripathi again. We will see a different side of her this season but just as powerful and unpredictable."

Set in the Uttar Pradesh small town of Mirzapur, the show takes the audiences into a dark and complex world of guns, drugs and lawlessness. The first part revolved around a crime lord named Kaleen bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi) and how his empire is affected when two brothers, Guddu and Bablu (Ali Fazal and Vikrant Massey), get associated with his business. There's trouble when Kaleen Bhaiya's son Munna (Divyenndu) gets threatened by their presence.

"The love and appreciation that the show has garnered since its launch has been overwhelming. Taking it a notch higher, we're certain that the audiences are in for a visual treat in the sequel" said creator Puneet Krishna, adding: "Seeing their excitement for the season 2 for months now made each one of us deliver a performance that matches up to the scale at which the show has now placed itself."

"‘Mirzapur' was not just about breaking boundaries for the audiences, but also for ourselves as content creators. Bringing thrilling and untold stories from India's hinterland without losing authenticity has been our biggest win. All the praise that season one of ‘Mirzapur' has received, not just in India, but across the globe, is heartening," said producer Ritesh Sidhwani about the show, which releases on Amazon Prime Video..