Kay Kay Menon is back with another rebellious performance in the new Zee5 Global series Murshid, where he plays the part of the eponymous feared and notorious mafia don. Known as the “King of Mumbai,” Murshid ruled the city’s underworld for 20 years. He was a figure everyone feared yet couldn’t ignore. But after the tragic death of his elder son, Murshid made a life-changing decision – he put down his gun for good. He swore to leave behind his ways and promised never to turn to violence again. Instead, he took all the wealth he had accumulated and gave it away to the people of Mumbai. He helped the poor, the downtrodden, and the sick. Even though he walked away from his dangerous past, people still remember him. They still fear him, but there’s a deep respect for what he did for them. But, as life plays tricks on him, despite his best intentions, Murshid finds himself forced to pick up the gun once more. What makes him do that? Find out about Murshid in this explainer.
Spoilers Ahead
What did Murshid promise Farid?
There was a man named Farid who once worked for Murshid as his right hand man. But after Murshid left the criminal life behind to focus on helping people, Farid slowly rose up the ranks and became the new mafia don. Under Farid’s command was a man named Mahesh, who was given the task of sending two boys, Salim and Junaid, to make an exchange—a hefty sum of money for counterfeit goods from a Taliban group. But things didn’t go as planned. When Salim and Junaid reached the site of the trade, Salim, following secret orders from Mahesh, killed the Taliban members. Junaid, who had warned Salim not to go through with it, was horrified. He left the scene and immediately called Mahesh to complain about how Salim had double-crossed them. What Junaid didn’t know, though, was that Mahesh was a dangerous double-crosser. He ended up killing Salim and took the money and other goods for himself, even though Salim was just following his orders. Mahesh then captured Junaid, beat him mercilessly, and pretended to be innocent to try to pin the blame on both Salim and Junaid. He wanted to make it look like they had betrayed everyone, so he could cover his tracks and stay on good terms with the Taliban leader.
Farid, unaware of Mahesh’s deception, wanted Junaid dead too. He believed Junaid knew too much about the Taliban killings, and despite Junaid pleading that he wasn’t responsible, no one listened. As Junaid lay dying from the beatings, the Taliban leader ordered Farid to take revenge. But then, Farid discovered something that changed everything—Junaid was actually Murshid’s youngest son. Killing Murshid’s son wouldn’t be so simple now. Realizing this, Farid decided to inform Murshid of the situation. Murshid, who had been out of the underworld for years, had no idea his own son was mixed up in this mess and working under Mahesh in Farid’s empire. When Murshid found out what had happened, he went to see the situation for himself. He visited Junaid, who swore to his father that he had done nothing wrong. He had called Mahesh to warn him about Salim’s actions, and not to double-cross anyone. Hearing this, Murshid then met with Farid face to face. The problem was, Farid hadn’t known Salim had been killed—he thought Salim had escaped with the money and goods. So Murshid made a deal: if he could find out what really happened to Salim, the stolen money, and the goods, then Farid would spare Junaid’s life. But if Murshid failed, Farid could do whatever he wanted with Junaid. Farid agreed, and the hunt for the truth began.
Did Murshid take up the gun again?
There was a police officer named Kumar Pratap Rana, who was actually Murshid’s foster son. Years ago, Murshid had killed Kumar’s real father, but instead of abandoning him, Murshid adopted and raised Kumar as his own. Thanks to Murshid’s influence, Kumar had grown up to become a very important and respected police officer. When Kumar found out about the trouble Murshid was in, he advised his father to seek political help. Kumar knew Murshid couldn’t stand against Farid and his powerful men alone, especially since Murshid no longer had the money or the influence he once had. Following his son’s advice, Murshid reached out to Namdev Kulkarni from the Naya Yug Party, as the Maharashtra elections were just around the corner. Although Murshid had previously had a good relationship with Baburao from the Praja Pratinidhi Party, he suddenly decided to switch sides when he realized that the Praja Pratinidhi Party was under Farid’s control. Kulkarni offered to help Murshid, but only if he agreed to run as a candidate for his party in the upcoming elections. Murshid knew he needed this backing, and accepted the deal. Meanwhile, Kumar also uncovered some vital information. He found out that Salim had been killed and that a man named Ayub had taken Farid’s money and belongings.
Farid knew about this, too, which meant things were about to get even more dangerous. Murshid knew there was only one way to gain the upper hand—he needed to take a stand against Farid. So, Murshid abducted Mahesh’s mentally challenged son, who Mahesh deeply loved. To send a clear message, Murshid shot the boy in the leg right in front of Mahesh. At first, Mahesh wasn’t afraid, but when he saw Murshid was willing to harm his son, he realized just how far Murshid was ready to go. Mahesh, fearing for his son’s life, finally gave in. He agreed to betray Farid and help Murshid get back the money and belongings from Ayub. Mahesh led Murshid’s men to Ayub’s home, where they took back everything. After that, Murshid killed Ayub by shooting him dead. To cover his tracks, Murshid also made sure to tell the Taliban that it was Mahesh who had betrayed them by killing their men. This led the Taliban to take revenge and kill Mahesh in the end. Murshid managed to save Junaid, and Mahesh’s son was taken to the hospital. But this entire situation forced Murshid to return to the life he had tried so hard to leave behind. Despite his efforts to stay away, circumstances dragged him back into the world of violence and crime once again and he had to take up the gun again.
Who became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra?
Meanwhile, Jayant Rao, Baburao’s son, started to notice the winds were shifting. With Murshid back in business and Farid’s power beginning to wane, Jayant decided it was time to change sides. The upcoming Maharashtra election was approaching, and Jayant was determined to be the next Chief Minister after his father. To secure his position, he made a deal with Murshid. Murshid, who had his own plans, realized that to truly regain his power, Farid needed to be eliminated. So, he made a bold suggestion to Jayant Rao—if Jayant wanted to be the next Chief Minister, Baburao had to be taken out of the picture. By removing Baburao, Jayant would gain public sympathy and an easy path to victory. Murshid promised to back Jayant in exchange for political protection once he took office. The plan went into motion, and Murshid’s men carried out the hit on Baburao. As expected, Jayant Rao gained public sympathy and rode that wave straight to becoming the next Chief Minister. With his new political power, Jayant provided Murshid with the cover he needed. So, in the end, Murshid decided to switch sides and became a supporter of the Praja Pratinidhi Party for his own benefit.
In Murshid’s ending, Murshid, with Jayant’s support, confronted Farid. Farid had gone to meet Murshid and thought he was the one who would end Murshid’s life. But he never saw it coming—Murshid, the notorious don, once again pulled the strings. With Jayant and the police on his side, Murshid killed Farid and ended up eliminating his biggest rival once and for all. As for Kumar Pratap, Murshid asked him to take revenge on him for the murder of his biological father by killing him, but Kumar couldn’t do it. After all, he now considered Murshid to be his real father. In the end, Murshid got everything he had lost—money, power, and political backing. He had come full circle by proving once again that he was the real don, back in control of Mumbai’s underworld.
