Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 5 (ANI): Actor Rasika Dugal has recalled a memorable moment from the early days of 'Mirzapur' involving veteran actor Kulbhushan Kharbanda, praising his sincerity and attention to detail while filming an intense eating scene.
Dugal, who plays Beena Tripathi in the crime-thriller franchise, described Kharbanda as “lovely to work with” and said his enthusiasm helped her stay engaged during a late-night shoot.
In a conversation with ANI, Dugal said, “He's lovely to work with, by the way. Kulji is so sweet, I cannot tell you,” recalling how the veteran actor remained fully invested in the scene even as the shoot stretched into the early hours of the morning.
The actor remembered feeling tired during the lengthy schedule. “I was feeling so sleepy, but Kulji was fully there. I mean, full enthusiasm,” she said.
Dugal added that Kharbanda’s dedication had a direct impact on her performance. “He sort of drew me into the scene with his sincerity and his enthusiasm,” she recalled.
One particular incident stood out to her from the first season of 'Mirzapur'. The scene featured Kharbanda’s Satyanand “Bauji” Tripathi sitting at a table and constantly eating meat.
“He really makes the character work. And show that thing about the character through that,” Dugal said.
She then recalled hearing Kharbanda speak to his makeup artist during the shoot.
“I could hear him telling his makeup artist to add more sweat to the makeup,” Dugal said.
She added, “So I was curious. What are we doing? Because I'm very curious about how actors work and their process and all that.”
According to Dugal, Kharbanda wanted the visual detail to communicate the heat of the food while retaining the character’s enjoyment of the meal.
“So he said, no, it should feel like, it's spicy, it's hot, but still, the person is enjoying it. That feeling should come,” she recalled him saying.
For Dugal, the incident demonstrated the level of detail Kharbanda brought to his performance. “So he was asking for, you know, that kind of detailing. And it's so wonderful to work with actors like that, really,” she said.
In 'Mirzapur,' Kharbanda plays Satyanand “Bauji” Tripathi, the patriarch of the Tripathi crime family, while Dugal plays his daughter-in-law, Beena Tripathi. Their relationship forms one of the show’s central and most complex dynamics, with their conflict becoming a major driver of the story.
The characters’ relationship takes a dark turn when Bauji discovers Beena’s affair with the house help, Raja. The abuse that follows becomes a defining moment in Beena’s journey and ultimately fuels her pursuit of revenge, with major consequences for Bauji and the Tripathi family.
Dugal reprises her role as Beena in 'Mirzapur: The Movie', which brings the franchise to the big screen.
The film features several popular characters, including Kaleen Bhaiya, Munna Bhaiya and Guddu Pandit, and centres on the battle for the Mirzapur throne as new contenders enter the conflict.
Presented by Amazon MGM Studios and Excel Entertainment, 'Mirzapur: The Movie' is directed by Gurmmeet Singh and written by Puneet Krishna.
Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar have produced the film under the Excel Entertainment banner, with Kassim Jagmagia and Vishal Ramchandani serving as co-producers.
'Mirzapur: The Movie' released in theatres on September 4, 2026. (ANI)
Rasika Dugal on Kulbhushan Kharbanda’s peak attention to detail: "He really makes the character work"
