The much-awaited ‘Mirzapur: The Movie’ has introduced a major casting change, with Jitendra Kumar taking over the role of Bablu Pandit from Vikrant Massey. While the change has naturally led fans to wonder whether Vikrant’s absence will be felt, Harshita Gaur, who plays Dimpy Pandit in the franchise, believes the new casting works seamlessly.In a conversation with Bollywood Bubble, Harshita spoke about Jitendra’s interpretation of the much-loved character and explained why audiences may not feel that anything is missing from the story.
Harshita Gaur Says Jitendra Kumar has captured Bablu Pandit’s essence
Speaking about Jitendra Kumar stepping into the role, Harshita acknowledged Vikrant Massey’s contribution to Bablu Pandit and his standing among the audience. However, she maintained that Jitendra has brought his own understanding to the character.She said, “Dekho, fans ke point of view se main yeh bol sakti hoon ki jo bahut hardcore Vikrant fans honge… Aur Vikrant obviously, he is a fabulous actor. Unhone bahut achha Bablu Pandit ka character kiya aur apni life mein, mashallah, bahut achha kar rahe hain. But agar hum purely yeh dekhein ki Jitendra ke aane se kuch aisa aapko miss lagega. Toh main definitely keh sakti hoon ki woh nahi lagega.”(Look, from the fans’ point of view, I can say that there will be some hardcore Vikrant fans. Vikrant is obviously a fabulous actor. He played Bablu Pandit very well and, mashallah, is doing very well in his life. But if we purely look at whether you will feel something missing because of Jitendra’s entry, I can definitely say that you will not.)
Actress Praises Jitendra’s take on Bablu
Harshita further explained that Jitendra has managed to retain the innocence associated with Bablu Pandit. According to her, neither watching him on screen nor working alongside him created a sense that the character had been drastically altered.She added, “Kyunki Jitendra ne bahut achhe se woh innocence aur Bablu Pandit ka jo character hai, woh nibhaya hai. Humein nahi laga — matlab, humein dekhne mein bhi nahi laga, na unke saath kaam karne mein laga. Jab unko phir screen par kuch scenes ke liye dubbing-vubbing karte hain ya dekhte hain, toh kabhi aisa feel nahi hua ki kuch miss lag raha hai.”(Because Jitendra has portrayed that innocence and the character of Bablu Pandit very well. We did not feel it, neither while watching him nor while working with him. Even when we see him doing dubbing for some scenes or watch him on screen, we never felt that something was missing.)
Harshita Gaur says Guddu and Bablu’s dynamic still feels natural
The actress also pointed out that the transition has worked well within the equation between Guddu and Bablu. She feels Jitendra has blended into the world of the franchise without making the replacement feel distracting.Concluding her thoughts, Harshita said, “Bahut achhe se, seamlessly, Guddu ka character aur Bablu ka character, jo ab Jitendra play kar rahe hain, synchronise hogaye hain. Toh I don’t think wahan pe… Yeh log bol sakte hain ki, ‘Arre, hum Vikrant ko miss kar rahe hain.’ Because hum uske fans hain ya jo bhi. Lekin Jitendra bhaiya bhi achhe lag rahe hain. Aisa bhi hai ki bhaiya ki bhi fan base hai. Aisa toh definitely ho sakta hai ki woh bolenge. Baaki, jahan dil laga hota hai, wahan toh aap chahte hi ho na ki woh insaan hota.”(Guddu’s character and Bablu’s character, which Jitendra is now playing, have synchronised very well and seamlessly. So I don’t think people will say, ‘Oh, we are missing Vikrant.’ Because we are his fans or for whatever reason. But Jitendra is also looking good. He also has a fan base, so that can definitely happen. At the end of the day, when your heart is attached to someone, you naturally want that person to be there.)
‘Mirzapur : The Movie’ release date
‘Mirzapur: The Movie’ is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on September 4. The film will be released in both Hindi and Telugu and continues the story of the popular crime franchise.
