Actress Rani Mukerji reacts to social impact of the ‘Mardaani’ franchise

Basking in the success of her latest outing, “Mardaani 3” actress Rani Mukerji decided to reflect on the social impact of the ‘Mardaani’ franchise. She shared that she has always believed that “Mardaani” is not just a film, but a voice for every woman who refuses to be silenced.

“The love and success of Mardaani 3 feels deeply personal because it tells me that audiences are not just watching someone like Shivani Shivaji Roy’s journey; they are standing with her for justice, for the victory of good over evil.”

She said that this franchise stands for courage, for the resilience that women carry within them every single day. “I am grateful, humbled, and more determined than ever to continue telling stories that matter,” she expressed her gratitude.

Rani added, “It is great that we have scored a hat-trick of hits with Mardaani, but that’s not as important as us trying to discuss very important social issues that deserve all our attention. It will always be a call to address such crimes head-on and tell us not to look away because it might not be affecting us. Even if one girl is affected, targeted, and attacked, it is the failure of our society that we haven’t been able to protect her. So, hopefully the conversation that the Mardaani franchise has created for so many years has resulted in us being more aware, more careful, and attentive.”

Revealing why the ‘Mardaani’ franchise has managed to resonate with the audience for such a long time, Rani said that it speaks about something very real, very urgent, and very important. “It’s not just a cop franchise — it’s about confronting truths that we often hesitate to look at. The crimes we address are uncomfortable, and cinema has the power to hold up that mirror,” she explained.

Rani stated that the ‘Mardaani’ franchise stands for the idea that fear should never win. “And as long as that message remains relevant — I think the franchise will continue to find a place in people’s hearts,” she concluded.

At age 18, following her mother’s suggestion that she pursue acting on an experimental basis, Mukerji accepted leading roles in the social drama Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, Khan’s second offer to her, and her father’s Bengali film Biyer Phool, both of which were released on the same day in October 1996. Before she began work on Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, Mukerji trained at Roshan Taneja’s acting institute.

She portrayed a rape victim who is forced to marry her rapist in the film. Although the film was a commercial failure, Mukerji’s performance earned her a special recognition trophy at the annual Screen Awards ceremony. Following the film’s poor showing at the box office, Mukerji returned to college to complete her education.

While ‘Sita Ramam’ was announced the Best Film, ‘Agra’ the Best Indie Film, Kannada Filmmaker Prithvi Konanur was feted with Best Director.

‘To Kill A Tiger’ took home the Best Documentary. Vijay Varma for ‘Dahaad’ and Rajshri Deshpande for ‘Trial By Fire’ were named as Best Performance (Male) and Best Performance (Female) in a series respectively.

Agencies