Rajesh Tailang recalls ‘Mirzapur’ scene that took 3 nights and more than 100 cuts to shoot

MUMBAI: Actor Rajesh Tailang, who appears in the recently released third season of the popular streaming show 'Mirzapur', shared an interesting anecdote from the show's first season.

The actor recalled that the scene where Munna Tripathi's character storms into the Pandit family’s house to kill them was filmed over three nights, and it took more than 100 cuts to shoot that scene. The scene was shot in Varanasi.

Reflecting on the experience, Rajesh said: "We shot the first scene at a house, where Munna arrives and there's a shootout. It took three nights to film, with about 103-107 cuts. It was a thrilling experience, even though it was a short scene.”

The actor also revealed how he was approached by the casting director, Anmol Abhishek, who is also an actor and manages casting for various projects.

"Abhishek called me for an audition. I live in Delhi most of the time, so I asked my cousin to help me record it. My cousin brought along a friend who works as a graphic designer at an ad agency. I had him play the role of the man with the knife in my audition tape,” he added.

This audition, submitted around 2017-2018, marked the beginning of Rajesh's journey with ‘Mirzapur’.

The actor added, “When you audition, you get a brief about the character and the world they're in, but the full picture only emerges later. Initially, I had no idea that 'Mirzapur' would turn into such a big hit and a part of pop culture.”

Tailang was pleasantly surprised by the engaging script and the swag each character carried.

"Reading and delivering the dialogue was fun. There was something special about the series that made it enjoyable to perform," he added.