Story: Top cop Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji) is tasked with solving the kidnapping case of an Indian ambassador’s and his caretaker’s daughters. As she draws the abductors out, leading to the child trafficking network’s kingpin, Amma (Mallika Prasad), Shivani is faced with a bigger and more sinister racket targeting young girls.
Review: After foiling a human trafficking crime in the Sundarbans, SSP Shivani Shivaji Roy’s next assignment is to bring back two young girls, Ruhani and Jhimli, kidnapped in Bulandshahar. On the surface, it looks like the beggar mafia at work. But a disturbing pattern emerges; the culprits only take young girls. While the obvious guess would be sex trafficking, blood tests and mentions of ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ hint at something beyond that. This is where director Abhiraj Minawala and writer Aayush Gupta’s narrative turns dark and interesting. The movie manages to maintain suspense as the audience is treated to two major crimes being solved, neatly divided into two halves.
The first half is engaging and moves at a brisk pace as Shivani goes after the abductors, who double-cross Amma, and then to the latter. The narrative loses some spark post-interval when the pace slackens, and the story moves into a familiar territory. While there are some clichés and predictable plot twists in the first half as well, they become more pronounced later on. Dialogues about the Goddess being born every now and then to end the atrocities against girls and women add to the tropes. The astute police work and crime-solving is better in the first half, but the final payoff does not live up to expectations once the evil racket is revealed. It’s an international conspiracy that feels too easily solved. The writing is not consistently sharp, but the film maintains the Mardaani legacy in its action, production values, performance, and tone, which helps hold the audience's attention.
Rani Mukerji proves why she is so revered as Shivani Shivaji Roy. Her performance as the no-nonsense cop with unflinching integrity is as finessed as the first two volumes. Right from the opening sequence, the actor pulls off the stunts with elan. Mallika Prasad as Amma does a fine job, but the characterisation has little novelty. Prajesh Kashyap, as a former victim of the beggar mafia who is on a war against Amma and other human traffickers, has a strong role.
Mardaani 3 isn’t without its flaws, but it still holds as a solid franchise outing anchored by Rani Mukerji’s performance.