New Delhi. Whenever there is talk of powerful female police officers in Bollywood, the name of Shivani Shivaji Roy comes to mind first. When Rani Mukherjee came on screen as ‘Mardaani’ in 2014, she not only raised the serious issue of human trafficking but also achieved spectacular success at the box office, earning ₹60 crore against a budget of ₹21 crore. In 2019, its sequel also repeated the success story, earning ₹67 crore on a budget of ₹27 crore.
Now it is 2026. After Covid, the world of cinema has changed, the taste of the audience has changed and the equations of box office have also changed. In this situation, Aditya Chopra has increased both the scale and budget of the film. Has ‘Mardaani 3’, released today on January 30, really succeeded in maintaining that thrill? Let us know in detail.
Story
The ‘Mardaani’ franchise is known for its elements – a heinous crime, an eccentric villain and his pursuit by Shivani Shivaji Roy. This time the story starts with a high-profile kidnapping case. An ambassador’s daughter is kidnapped, but the matter becomes more complicated when it is discovered that her caretaker’s daughter has also been kidnapped. As the investigation progresses, Shivani comes across a network that stretches back to the roots of the ‘beggar mafia’ and organ trafficking. The queen of this dark kingdom is Amma (Mallika Prasad). Amma is not a common criminal. He is quite ruthless and his power extends from the sewers of the city to the highest class. The first half of the film is quite interesting. The story keeps you engaged as long as Shivani is trying to find the girls.
acting
The biggest strength and surprise package of this film is Mallika Prasad (Amma). ‘Mardaani’ franchise has always been known for its villains. Mallika has carried forward that legacy brilliantly. Her performance is so scary that whenever she comes on screen, we get goosebumps. As a villain, she directly impacts the minds of the audience. However, when it comes to Rani Mukherjee, there is a slight disappointment. The ‘fire’ and ‘energy’ that Shivani’s character had in the last two parts is less this time. Rani looks quite loud and dramatic in many scenes. At many places her shouting seems artificial, which does not match with Shivani’s usually calm and strong personality. Janaki Bodiwala has done her job honestly, but the writing of her character is so weak that despite her best efforts she is not able to do much.
shortcomings
The biggest weakness of ‘Mardaani 3’ is its climax. The first half and the beginning of the second half keeps you excited and the suspense slowly unfolds, but as the film approaches its climax, everything is ended in a hurry. The emotional depth that should have been there in the climax is missing. The audience is not able to connect with the pain of Shivani and the girls in the same way as it happened in the previous parts. Its pace is quite slow in the beginning of the film. Although the story is good, so you don’t get bored, the ‘grip’ that a thriller should have sometimes goes missing.
Direction and Cinematography
Director Abhiraj Meenawala has tried to make this film better than before, but in this process he has lost the raw and realistic feel of ‘Mardaani’ to some extent. The direction of the film is better than average, but not impressive. As far as cinematography is concerned, the camera work is excellent. The hideouts of the beggar mafia and the dark corners of the city have been filmed beautifully and dangerously. The lighting and framing support the dark tone of the film and successfully create a distinct atmosphere.
background score
The heart of any crime thriller film is its background score (BGM), and in the case of ‘Mardaani 3’ this is completely true. The music of the film works to give depth to the dark and tense atmosphere of the story. Where the pace of the film slows down, its thrilling score succeeds in increasing the heartbeats of the audience. In particular, the sound design used in the scenes of the villain ‘Amma’ is awe-inspiring. Those strange and scary sounds make Amma’s eccentricity even more terrifying. At the same time, the signature theme music of ‘Mardaani’ fills a different enthusiasm in the action scenes of Shivani Shivaji Roy. Overall it plays an important role in keeping the suspense and thrill of the film alive till the end.
final decision
‘Mardaani 3’ is a good film, but it does not reach the level of its previous two films (especially the first Mardaani). This is a film worth watching once for those who like crime thrillers. If you are a big fan of Rani Mukherjee, you might like her performance, but as an unbiased viewer, you will miss the old Shivani Shivaji Roy. The biggest plus point of the film is the character of ‘Amma’, which makes it worth watching at least once. From my side the film is 2.5 out of 5 stars.
