‘Will I stand out among them?’: Mohitt Maalik recalls fear of being overshadowed in Mirzapur

Mohitt Maalik is riding high on the success of Mirzapur: The Movie, the big-screen extension of the popular OTT franchise Mirzapur. The success of the series paved the way for its transition from the digital space to the big screen, with Pankaj Tripathi a returning as Kaleen Bhaiyya, Ali Fazal as Guddu Pandit and Divyenndu Sharma as Munna, alongside several new characters. Among them is Mohitt Maalik’s Birju Lohar, a jilted lover whose portrayal has earned the actor praise and even the tag of “love idol”. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, Mohit revisited his experience of filming Mirzapur: The Movie.

Every actor aspires to have an unforgettable song picturised on them, and Mohitt Maalik and Rasika Dugal (Chhatankki, his love interest) had the iconic “Saanson Ki Maala” by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. “Rasika always wanted a song. It was never my dream or goal to have a song picturised on me, but it’s an add-on for me. This song has been close to me since my school days because my mother would always listen to it, and now to have that song on me is divine,” shared the actor.

‘Main dikhunga na inke beech mein?’

Those who have watched Mirzapur: The Movie might remember the climax scene where Birju smiles during his final moments. Upon being asked about the interpretation of that smile, Mohitt Maalik said that he would leave it to people’s interpretation and wouldn’t want to reveal his own. He shared that the climax scene was his first shot for the movie. The actor said, “It was my first day, and the first scene of Mirzapur. It’s special because you have to say a lot of stuff without saying anything.”

Usually, actors crave more dialogues and screen space, but Mohitt, on the contrary, feels that having less screen space and dialogues is a “boon”. “I am lucky that I didn’t have many lines. It’s a boon. I just had a few moments in the film. I appeared for nearly 12-13 minutes on screen, and that was a challenge for me to stand between all these big characters and actors and prove your mettle. Obviously, I had taken this challenge in my head; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to perform. I worked on my character with a lot of passion.”

Speaking about securing his own place in this vast Mirzapur universe, Mohitt said, “Of course, I had the fear of trying to create my own place. Even a day before the release, I would just ask my director, ‘Main dikhunga na inke beech mein?’ (I’ll be seen amid them, right?), and Gurmmeet (Singh) would ask me if I’d lost my mind to even ask such a question. He would assure me by saying, ‘You’ve done a great job.’”

Watch the full interview with Mohitt Maalik below:

Those pre-release doubts, however, soon gave way to appreciation for his performance, with Birju Lohar emerging as one of the film’s talked-about characters. “I am very grateful for all the love that is coming my way for Birju’s character, but my hunger for good work has also increased. I have become very hungry now, and I want to do more work.”

The appreciation for Mohitt has come alongside Mirzapur The Movie’s strong run at the box office. As per trade tracker Sacnilk, the film has earned over Rs 250 crore globally. Speaking about its success, an innocently unaware Mohitt exclaimed, “Wow! Numbers don’t affect me much; they affect the producers. I’m just happy that my work is acknowledged and loved. Numbers – it’s their (producers’) math. I am not getting anything out of it (laughs). But I am happy that the film is working, and my producer is happy. I so wanted this film to work because Guru paaji (Gurmmeet Singh) is a part of this, and he deserves this.”

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On working with Ravi Kishan

Mohitt Maalik shared most of his scenes with Ravi Kishan, but off screen, the two are like chalk and cheese. Opening up about how they bonded on set despite their contrasting personalities, Mohitt laughed and said, “The jodi was very interesting, and he carries a great energy because he’s very spiritual. Not many people know, but he is highly inclined towards spirituality, and a big believer of ‘Mahadev’ (Lord Shiva), and we had great conversations about Mahadev. I also believe in Shiv Shakti, and I read a lot about Shiv Shakti. He was carrying a shivling (a symbol of Shiva) with him, and asked me to come to his room and take darshan (blessings). We’ve spent a great amount of time together. Yes, before the shots, sometimes, I had to tell him, ‘Sir, take hone vala hai, thoda chup ho jaate hain’ (Sir, my take is about to start, let’s stay quiet for some time) because he really talks a lot and loves to talk a lot. Sometimes, I would also tell him, ‘Sorry, Ravi ji, I’ll just move to that corner and sit.’ It doesn’t come across as good behaviour, but it was needed for me.”

Previously, the film’s makers openly admitted that they feared Ravi Kishan’s Babban Bua might overpower Kaleen Bhaiyya, Guddu Pandit and Munna. Reacting to this, Mohitt said, “That can never happen. Kaleen Bhaiyya is another level. Ravi ji has performed very well, but I feel they are the OGs, yaar. Pankaj ji has immersed himself completely in Kaleen Bhaiyya’s character. It just flows through him. He doesn’t need to do anything. He is Kaleen Bhaiyya, and Ravi ji, also, it’s his whole body and the whole mannerisms of that belt. It’s his genre, and it is very comfortable for him. He has done a great job.”

On working with Pankaj Tripathi

Talking about Pankaj Tripathi, Mohitt Maalik said, “He is an adorable guy. He is a saint, he is an institution, he is everything. He has guided me so many times, saying, ‘Yeh kar le, isko aise kar le’ (Do this, and do it this way), and I would say, ‘Main abhi naya naya aaya hoon, kuch kharab na ho jaaye’ (I am a newcomer here, I fear getting something wrong).”

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Mohitt then recalled an incident from the film’s climax that showed how Pankaj encouraged him to trust his instincts as an actor. “There was a shot in the climax where he called me and said, ‘Isko aise yahan par add kar de’ (Add this in the shot). I said, ‘Sir, aapka idea accha hai lekin main…’ (Sir, your idea is great, but how can I?). This was the shot with all the dancers in the frame, and I had to cross. So he told me, ‘Do something there.’ It wasn’t written in the script; we were just improvising. I wanted to improvise, but I was also scared. ‘What if the shot doesn’t go as expected? Everyone, including the dancers, would have to retake the whole scene.’ I didn’t do it, and then Pankaj ji called me and said, ‘Do it in the next take.’ I shared my inhibitions with him, saying that it shouldn’t spoil the scene. And he encouraged me by saying, ‘Kar liya kar, kuch kharab nahi hoga. Aise jab impulse aaye toh kar hi liya kar, poocha mat kar’ (You should improvise your scenes, nothing will go wrong. Whenever you feel the instinct, just do it, don’t wait to ask). At the most, what will go wrong? We’ll retake the shots.”

“For me, this was something different because it’s a new world, a big film, with big stars, and I am doing something different. ‘Vahan thoda sa risky ho jaata’ (It would’ve been a little risky). Now, I can take the calls of improvising the shots because I know them all very well,” Mohit added.

The gesture boosted Mohitt’s confidence. He also revealed that the two shared several meaningful conversations off screen.

‘Please keep that scene’

Speaking about his character’s death at the end of the film, Mohitt Maalik revealed that he had urged the makers to let Birju die rather than keep him alive for a potential prequel. “But that was the only scene which pulled me to do this character, this film, that he dies in the end. They were contemplating whether to keep that scene or not because they wanted to keep him alive for the prequel. There were people who were of the opinion of ending it where I stand after being shot. I prayed for that scene, I pleaded with them, ‘Please keep that scene. That is my favourite scene, and I anyway have very few scenes in the film.’ I wanted the arc to finish. I wanted Birju to die. No actor would like that, but I said, ‘No, I want to die. Please keep that scene.’ And, they said, ‘No, we are thinking about a part 2.’ I said, ‘Please kill him, we’ll see what we have to do later. Maar do, please, abhi jo kiya hai scene, vo rakh do film mein’ (Kill him, please. The scene that I have shot, please retain it in the film). I am glad they kept it. Farhan (Akhtar), in the end, saw the film, and that’s what I got to know. He said, ‘Keep the death scene.’ Later, I even thanked him. I told him, ‘Farhan sir, thank you for keeping that scene,’ and Farhan said, ‘It was required.’”

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Also featuring Jitendra Kumar, Shweta Tripathi, Sheeba Chaddha, Rajesh Tailang, Mirzapur – The Movie released in theatres on September 4 and is having a successful run at the box office.