Did You Spot Pankaj Tripathi And Ali Fazal's Sly Mirzapur Reunion In Metro... In Dino?

In the big, bad world of Mirzapur, Kaleen Bhaiya and Guddu Bhaiya, two key characters in the Prime Video series played by Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal, respectively, have been at loggerheads since the first season.

Who would have thought director Anurag Basu would give a hat-tip to this famed Mirzapur duo in his film Metro In Dino, which hit the theatres on July 4, 2025.

Metro In Dino is the follow-up to Anurag Basu's critically acclaimed Life In A Metro, which was released 18 years ago. Like its predecessor, Metro In Dino is also a hyperlink romance drama which explores modern-day relationships, this time in four different fast-paced metro cities.

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Anurag Basu, who also self-references his filmography in his latest offering, manages to connect Mirzapur co-stars Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal who star in Metro In Dino in different short segments of the film.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Towards the end of the film, Ali Fazal's character Aakash is crossing the road in a hurry when he bumps into Monty (Pankaj Tripathi)'s car. Aakash would have been run over by Monty had he not pulled the brakes just in time (or when the director asked him to *wink wink*).

Monty, like any driver on the road, was startled to see this stranger appear out of nowhere in front of his car.

"Aey Guddu!" says Monty when Aakash almost crashes into his car.  

Even though this one-liner is dubbed over the original dialogue, this Mirzapur reference, no matter how pointed, works eliciting laughs out of the audience.

This reference was also a light-bulb moment for many viewers who realised that Monty and Aakash, strangers in Metro In Dino, are also Kaleen Bhaiya and Guddu Bhaiya, sworn enemies in Mirzapur.

The line "Aey Guddu!" has nothing to do with the central theme and since Monty and Aakash never really meet at any other juncture during the duration of almost three hours, it makes sense why Anurag Basu would have wanted to sneak in this Mirzapur reference somewhere.

Now waiting for Mirzapur season four or Mirzapur: The Film to see the reunion of Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal in the heartland, away from the metros.

Also Read | NDTV Exclusive: Is Mirzapur 4 Coming In July? Shweta Tripathi Promises "Good News Soon"