The entertainment landscape has changed dramatically since Mirzapur first arrived on OTT, and director Gurmeet Singh believes the pace of that transformation is only getting faster. In an exclusive conversation, the filmmaker reflected on the evolution of content consumption, the rise of new formats, increasing dependence on numbers and algorithms, and why creators still need the freedom to take risks. According to Gurmeet, technological advancement has fundamentally altered not just entertainment but almost every aspect of modern life, forcing the industry to constantly adapt.
“The thing to understand is that in the past, the evolution of anything used to be very slow. But with the rapid pace of technological advancement, things are changing quickly—and not just in entertainment, but in every aspect of life. Even the way we consume content and watch films is undergoing rapid shifts,” Gurmeet said. Looking back at the journey of entertainment, he added, “I’ve witnessed the progression from films to television, and then to OTT, but there were massive gaps between these transitions—we’re talking about intervals of nearly 30 years!” For him, the arrival of OTT has completely accelerated that cycle of change.
Gurmeet also pointed towards the emergence of newer and smaller storytelling formats as an example of how quickly the industry is evolving. “But ever since the advent of OTT, even smaller formats—like what are now called 'micro-dramas'—have started emerging; new developments and innovations keep cropping up rapidly,” he said. “I suppose that’s simply a sign of the times—innovation is inevitable, and new things, including AI, are constantly entering the picture. It’s just part of the world we live in; we have to adapt to the changing landscape.” His comments underline how audiences, technology and storytelling formats are now evolving simultaneously.
The Mirzapur: The Movie director also spoke about the changing commercial pressures within streaming. “Previously, there wasn't the same pressure regarding numbers—especially in the OTT space—but now that pressure exists because precedents have been set,” Gurmeet explained. At the same time, he acknowledged that metrics have become an important part of decision-making, while suggesting that numbers should not completely replace creative judgement. “Sometimes, the decision-makers take those metrics a bit too seriously, though I believe a process of course correction is always underway,” he said.
Gurmeet believes the industry understands that human judgement remains essential despite the growing influence of algorithms. “I think they also realize that backing the human element is crucial, rather than relying solely on algorithms—and I believe they do understand this,” he said. He added, “Ultimately, the people involved always have the best intentions; they aim to put out content that will perform the best. However, human decisions can be right or wrong at times. So, we just hope that in the future, they continue to back creators and support new or riskier content, because that is where true breakthroughs will come from.” For the filmmaker, the future of entertainment lies in finding a balance between data-driven decisions and the instinct of creators.
That philosophy of balancing creative choices with practical constraints also connects with Gurmeet’s experience on Mirzapur: The Movie. The film currently runs for 3 hours and 17 minutes, but the director revealed that the team has another half-hour of footage that they personally love. “Actually, there are quite a few such scenes. It’s a common challenge with every film: the version currently in theaters runs for 3 hours and 17 minutes, but we have another half-hour of footage that we personally love,” he said. Gurmeet explained that runtime constraints and the need to keep the film tight meant that several scenes had to be left out. “However, due to runtime constraints and the desire to keep the film as tight as possible, there were some beautiful scenes we couldn't include. Hopefully, we’ll be able to bring them to the audience in some way.”
Among those deleted sequences is a scene featuring Rati Shankar Shukla and Shubrajyoti Bharat that Gurmeet particularly loves. “There are some excellent scenes featuring various actors. In fact, there’s a fantastic scene involving Rati Shankar Shukla and Shubrajyoti Bharat that is a personal favorite of ours; we’d be delighted if the audience could see it,” he revealed. Released theatrically on September 4, 2026, Mirzapur: The Movie marks Gurmeet Singh’s feature directorial debut and stars Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Divyenndu, Jitendra Kumar and Ravi Kishan. Written by Puneet Krishna and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under Excel Entertainment, the film expands the popular Mirzapur universe onto the big screen.