Rasika Dugal has reached a new box-office milestone with Mirzapur: The Movie, and the actor says she is grateful to see the franchise’s long-standing audience embrace its big-screen chapter.
The film, which expands the popular Mirzapur universe into a theatrical release, has reportedly crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in India. For Dugal, the achievement carries a personal significance: it is her first film to enter the Rs 100 crore club.
Reflecting on the milestone in an interview with News18, Dugal described the achievement as something that does not happen frequently and said she felt grateful for the response.
Rasika Dugal Says Fan Loyalty Made the Film Special
Dugal has been closely associated with the Mirzapur franchise since its streaming debut. Over the years, her performance has helped establish Beena Tripathi as one of the show’s most memorable characters.
The actor said that she generally does not approach a project by worrying about its eventual outcome. With Mirzapur: The Movie, however, she felt a stronger responsibility towards the audience that had remained invested in the franchise for years.
Speaking about the response, Dugal said she wanted fans to leave the theatre happy. According to the actor, the reaction extended beyond the show’s established followers, which made the experience even more satisfying.
For a performer whose career has included substantial work in streaming, the theatrical response has also offered a different kind of excitement.
“There’s a Certain Aura of a Theatre”
Dugal has built much of her recent popularity through acclaimed streaming projects, making the transition of Mirzapur from the small screen to cinemas particularly meaningful.
She told News18 that she is grateful for the opportunity to have her work seen on any screen, while acknowledging that theatrical exhibition carries a distinct atmosphere.
The actor described the experience as thrilling because a story and characters developed over several years were now being presented to audiences collectively in cinemas.
That change in scale has given the franchise a different cultural moment. Instead of viewers discovering the story individually through streaming, the theatrical format turns the latest chapter into a shared audience experience.
Rasika Dugal on “Saanson Ki Mala Pe”
Another element of the film that left a strong impression on Dugal was the use of Saanson Ki Mala Pe in a pivotal sequence.
The song has a long association with audiences, particularly through Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s celebrated rendition. Dugal said hearing a familiar composition in an important scene created a powerful combination of nostalgia and cinematic emotion.
She also praised the new rendition used in the film, describing the sequence as poetic and saying that the song brought several elements of the moment together.
For Dugal, being part of a film that incorporates songs, larger-than-life characters and theatrical spectacle was something she had hoped might happen during her career.
She suggested that she had imagined such an opportunity without necessarily pursuing it as a specific career goal—and now feels fortunate that it has arrived through Mirzapur: The Movie.
Mirzapur: The Movie Expands the Franchise
The film takes the story of the Mirzapur universe into a feature-film format, returning several of its most recognisable characters to the big screen.
Pankaj Tripathi reprises his role as Kaleen Bhaiya, while Ali Fazal returns as Guddu Pandit. Divyenndu is also back as Munna Tripathi, continuing the franchise’s connection with its established characters.
Jitendra Kumar plays Bablu Pandit in the film, while Ravi Kishan features as Babban Babua.
Set against the backdrop of the power struggles of Purvanchal, the story introduces another threat as rival factions once again become entangled in a high-stakes confrontation.
The film also brings a new adversarial force into the franchise, adding another layer to the conflict involving the Tripathis and Pandits.
A New Box-Office Chapter for Rasika Dugal
The reported Rs 100 crore milestone represents more than a commercial achievement for Dugal. It also reflects the changing trajectory of an actor who has built a substantial body of work across films and streaming platforms.
Her association with Mirzapur has given her a particularly strong connection with audiences, while the film’s theatrical performance has now added another dimension to that journey.
For Dugal, the response appears to be less about a numerical milestone alone and more about seeing a character and franchise she has been part of for years reach audiences in a completely different setting.
