MUMBAI : Mirzapur has developed a huge fan following since its release in 2018. It has also spawned quite a few shows which dealt with crime lords and the violence unleashed by them in the Hindi heartland. Here are five shows that you must check out as you wait for Mirzapur Season 2.

(ALSO READ : I Always Wanted To Explore This Genre Shriya Pilgaonkar On Her First Action Venture, Crackdown)

1. Rangbaaz (ZEE5)

This anthological ZEE5 web series has had two seasons so far. The first season, starring Saqib Saleem in the lead role, was inspired by the life of Shri Prakash Shukla, a gangster from Gorakhpur. The second season had Jimmy Shergill play a character inspired by Anandpal Singh, a gangster from Rajasthan. Much like Mirzapur, the show depicted crime in a gory fashion where the protagonists weren’t really the heroes of the story. The treatment of the series is similar to Mirzapur.

2. Raktanchal (MX Player)

Starring Nikitin Dheer and Kranti Prakash Jha in the lead roles, this series is set in the 1980s. The politics, the illegal businesses and the crime ring operated by two gangsters lend Raktanchal a Mirzapur vibe. Also, like Mirzapur, this series too is set in the Purvanchal area of Uttar Pradesh.

3. Bhaukaal (MX Player)

Unlike the shows mentioned above, this one has an honest cop as the protagonist, but it is set in a similar universe. Here too, two warring gangsters have captured the entire city and to reinstate law and order, a tough cop enters the scene. Set in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, Bhaukaal stars Mohit Raina, Abhimanyu Singh, Siddhanth Kapoor, Bidita Bag, Sunny Hinduja, Rashmi Rajput, Pradeep Nagar and Gulki Joshi.

4. Jamtara: Sabka Number Aayega (Netflix)

Although this show is set in Jamtara district of Jharkhand, the broader vibe of the show is pretty similar to Mirzapur. The show follows small-time criminals who are being operated by a bigger crime lord in implementing a phishing scam. As the cops start taking control of the city, the fight between good vs evil gets bigger. The show stars Sparsh Shrivastav, Amit Sial, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Aksha Pardasany among others.

5. Apharan (ALT Balaji)

Starring Arunoday Singh in the lead role, Apharan is the story of a kidnapping gone wrong. Also starring Mahie Gill, Varun Badola, Nidhi Singh among others, the picturisation here has a very 70s Hindi film vibe to it. The nexus of police, criminals and politicians give this the same tonality as Mirzapur.

SOURCE - THE INDIAN EXPRESS

(ALSO READ : Check out what Shweta Tripathi has to say on The Gone Game series)