Mirzapur 3 ending explained: Post-credits scene, and how Kaleen Bhaiya, Guddu Pandit, Gajgamini Golu Gupta hurtle towards an explosive end

Mirzapur Season 3 ending and post-credits scene confirm that the struggle for power and untold wealth will never end - with new contenders emerging as older ones die or are sidelined in the Prime Video series. (Image credit: Instagram/Prime Video India)

Mirzapur Season 3 post-credits scene and ending explained: Mirzapur became a runaway hit when it first dropped on Amazon Prime Video in 2018. Season 2 of Mirzapur, too, had audiences rapt. In Mirzapur Season 3, we get much more of the same explosive combination: an intense power struggle, obscene amounts of money and power, and a body count that rises at an alarming rate and in alarming ways. But there's something more substantial at play here, too: Family ties. Mirzapur began with the antics of the lovely Pandit family. By the end of Mirzapur 3, this family and its members are broken in more ways than before and Guddu (Ali Fazal) finds his anchor in the only real family he has left. A post-credits scene in Mirzapur 3 also hints at a fourth season of Mirzapur, where the women will likely lead - possibly with a much bigger role for Bina Tripathi played by an excellent Rasika Dugal.

Mirzapur Season 3 post-credits scene

Mirzapur Season 3 has 10 episodes. At the end of the 10th episode, fast-forward to roughly 51:40 minutes for the post-credits scene. It's shot in what looks like a labour camp. An erstwhile Tripathi family loyalist makes his first appearance this season in this scene, which also hints at Bina's growing unease in her role as the submissive - and exploited - lady of the house, as well as her growing ambition to take over the multi-crore business and all the power that comes with it.

Mirzapur Season 3 ending

Through Seasons 1 and 2, the Pandit family fell apart and fell on harder times. In Season 3, we see their belief systems eroding too.

After Guddu's wife Sweety (Shriya Pilgaonkar) and Golu's beau Bablu Pandit (Vikrant Massey) were killed in Season 1, Guddu and Golu (Shweta Tripthi Sharma) were driven by a hunger for revenge. Along the way, revenge turned into a desire for power. In Season 3, we see this desire for control raging through multiple people and destroying a lot of what was good and wholesome.

In Season 3, Guddu actively pushes away surviving members of his family and friends, and spirals out of control. Addressing his goons at one point, he says: "Gunda artharth jindagi se maut tak le jaane waala karmachari - toh gunda bano (A goon is an official who brings death to the living, so be a goon.)" He exalts murder as a way to reclaim izzat (honour).

Guddu's fall in Season 3 is spectacular. The gentle giant is pulled in multiple directions. He tries to be the benevolent benefactor, but nothing is simple, and nothing is as it seems. In a brief 'blink and you'll miss it' sequence, Golu explains to him that he must use buddhi (brains) with bal (brawn) to stay in power. It's a simple yet powerful exposition: As Guddu, a hulk of a man, is doing bench presses at his home gym, Golu strategically places one finger on the barbell. Guddu can no longer lift the weight. He is frustrated, but he has to concede the point that charging like a bull in a China shop does not always work.

This season, Guddu's support systems deteriorate further. Guddu's brother Bablu, who had anchored him in Season 1, is long gone. As he gets closer to the seat of power, his enemies multiply. Many characterize him as Bhasmasur - the legendary rakshas who destroyed everything he touched. His affair with Lala's daughter takes an ugly turn.

Indeed, love takes an ugly turn in this season, as Shatrughan (Vijay Varma) devolves to new lows. Expect him to have a larger role in Season 4 of Mirzapur - if Excel Movies and Prime Video India greenlight another season.

There is a poignant exchange between Ramakant Pandit and Guddu. Ramakant's previously immovable beliefs are shaken after a series of betrayals and a horrible incident in which an innocent is corrupted right before his eyes - and under his tutelage. Ramakant is in jail when Guddu goes to seek his counsel for the first time in a long time. In a reversal of his earlier principled stance, Ramakant tells Guddu: "Yahaan aa ke ek hi cheez seekhi hai humne: survival ke liye jo zaroori hai, wahi usool hai. (If there's one thing I've learnt behind bars, it is that doing what you need to do to survive is the only principle worth following.)"

Mirzapur 3: Bhaukaal ka time

Fear and death are the substrate that the Baahubalis (strongmen) of Mirzapur thrive in. In Season 3, we see beheadings, kidnapping, shootouts, extra-judicial killings by the police and political machinations that almost always end in someone dying.

This is not to say that Season 3 of Mirzapur is more gruesome than the previous seasons. But make sure you bring a strong stomach to watch the show.

Mirzapur 3 feels like the beginning of the end. Particularly starting with episode 8 of Mirzapur 3, when people who have been important in the story either die or are elevated to being more serious contenders for the "gaddi".

Mirzapur 3 cast: In photos

Each season, some characters are bumped off and new ones join the cast of Mirzapur. Here's a look at some key cast members in the third season of Mirzapur:

Mirzapur Season 3 cast: Pankaj Tripathi returns as Kaleen Bhaiya. (Photo courtesy Amazon Prime Video)

Mirzapur Season 3 cast: Ali Fazal as Guddu Pandit. (Photo courtesy Amazon Prime Video)

Mirzapur Season 3 cast: Shweta Tripathi as Golu Gupta. Her character undergoes a massive change, as she uses her smarts to improve her standing in the male-dominated criminal world of UP. (Photo courtesy Amazon Prime Video)

Mirzapur Season 3 cast: Vijay Varma as Chote Tyagi Shatrughan faces new challenges and plumbs new depths this season. (Photo courtesy Amazon Prime Video)

Mirzapur Season 3 cast: Kaleen Bhaiya's wife Bina Tripathi (Rasika Dugal) had made a deal with Guddu and Golu at the end of Season 2. In Season 3, her ambition grows further. (Photo courtesy Amazon Prime Video)

Mirzapur Season 3 cast: Isha Talwar gets more screen time this season, in her role as UP chief minister Madhuri Yadav. (Photo courtesy Amazon Prime Video)

Mirzapur Season 3 cast: Priyanshu Painyuli shines as ex-criminal accountant and Dimpy Pandit's love interest Robin Agarwal this season. (Photo courtesy Amazon Prime Video)

Mirzapur Season 3 cast: Devdutt 'Dadda' Tyagi (Lilliput) gets emotional this season as he grieves for his son. (Photo courtesy Amazon Prime Video)

Mirzapur Season 3 cast: Meghna Malik as Shakuntala Shukla and Anjumm Shharma as Sharad Shukla. (Photo courtesy Amazon Prime Video)

Kaleen Bhaiya escapes death narrowly to return in Season 3. (Photo courtesy Amazon Prime Video)

Also reprising their roles this season are Rajesh Tailang as Ramakant Pandit, Harshita Gaur as Dimpy Pandit, Sheeba Chaddha as Vasudha Pandit, Prashansa Sharma as Radhiya, Anil George as Lala and Shernavaz Jijina as Shabnam Lala, among others.