The third instalment in the Mardaani film series, Mardaani 3 is about police officer Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji) as she investigates the case of 93 young girls who have gone missing under mysterious circumstances’ in just three months. Janki Bodiwala and Mallika Prasad are at their best.
A definite watch For Rani Mukerji fans. It is for her commanding screen presence makes Mardaani 3 worth experiencing. Though the storytelling feels familiar, the film continues to spotlight urgent issues like trafficking and systemic crime. She is magnetic, embodying Shivani with grit and gravitas. It is merely her presence that elevates even the most predictable scenes.
Shivani Shivaji Roy returns to confront a sinister child trafficking network that stretches across borders and infiltrates powerful institutions. As she delves deeper, Shivani uncovers a web of corruption and complicity that makes the fight more personal than ever. The film follows her relentless pursuit of justice, balancing high-stakes investigations with moments of vulnerability, while exposing the systemic rot that enables such crimes to thrive.
Kidnap of Indian Ambassador’s young daughter
Speaking about the subject, haven’t we seen it in Delhi Crime Season 3? Anyway for those who haven’t here is a gist. Young daughter of Indian Ambassador is abducted while playing hide-and-seek with the daughter of a domestic helper. The girls are abducted and this high profile case is delegated to SSP Shivani Shivaji Roy.
The police discover that the kidnappers handed the girls over to Amma, the powerful leader of a beggar mafia network. Roy also then finds out that there is a mole within the police force working for Amma.
Carries forward the franchise’s socially conscious narrative
It cannot be brushed aside. It is notches above the ordinary as the film tackles child trafficking and systemic crime, taking forward the franchise’s socially conscious storytelling.
To sum it up, Mardaani 3 is a solid but not a groundbreaking sequel—Rani shines, but the film itself doesn’t reach the heights of its predecessors. It is purposeful but predictable and delivers a strong central performance and a socially urgent theme.
Rot in the System
However this one lacks the layered complexity that makes something like Delhi Crime resonate beyond its genre. Viewers seeking a taut, morally complex thriller would be diaappointed. Mardaani 3 feels more like a Bollywood formulaic film than a groundbreaking crime drama. It has a gripping first half whereas it slips into the predictable territory in the latter. Struggling to rise above the usual template all through its running time of 129 minutes.
The franchise now shows signs of fatigue, as Shivani’s confrontations feel less like fresh investigations. It appears more like formulaic repetitions, reducing the narrative to a procedural exercise rather than elevating it into a layered crime drama.
Cast of Mardaani 3:
Rani Mukerji as SSP Shivani Shivaji Roy IPS
Janki Bodiwala as Constable Fatima Anwar
Mallika Prasad as Amma
Jisshu Sengupta as Dr Bikram Roy (Shivani’s husband)
Prajesh Kashyap as Ramanujan
Somansh Singh Dangwal as young Ramanujan
Indraneel Bhattacharya as Indian Ambassador Sahu
Mikhail Yawalkar as Inspector Balwinder Singh Sodhi
Digvijay Rohidas as Jafar
Jimpa Sangpo Bhutia as Jimpa
Avanee Joshi as Ruhani (The Ambassador’s daughter)
Diorr Varghese as Jhimli
Jaipreet Singh as DGP, National Investigation Agency
Naved Aslam as Home Secretary
Aurobindo Bhattacharjee as ASP, Delhi Police
Credits of Mardaani 3:
Directed by Abhiraj Minawala
Written by Aayush Gupta, Deepak Kingrani, Baljeet Singh Marwah
Produced by Aditya Chopra
Cinematography – Artur Żurawski
Edited by Yasha Ramchandani
Songs – Sarthak Kalyani
BGM – John Stewart Eduri
Production company – Yash Raj Films
