Mardaani 3 doesn’t waste any time as the story begins from the very first scene. Rani Mukerji’s Pushpa-style entry is clapworthy and the film gets better once Shivani Shivaji Roy takes on the menacing Amma. There was a fear that the trailer had given away a chunk of the film’s plot, but that’s not the case. There’s a lot that happens that was kept hidden in the assets. The intermission point is a shocker and it raises the madness for the second half. The climax is clapworthy. On the flipside, a few twists are predictable. The writing could have been sharper and also things happen at convenience for the protagonist’s convenience despite the challenges. Rani Mukerji is getting better with each film and here, she delivers a hard-hitting performance. Watch out for her in the emotional sequences as well. Her monologue is memorable too. Mallika Prasad (Amma) is menacing and is aptly cast. Janki Bodiwala (Fatima) of Shaitaan fame doesn’t have much to do initially, but makes her presence felt later on. Prajesh Kashyap (Ramanujan) is the surprise of the film and delivers a terrific performance. Eindraneel Bhattacharya (Ambassador Sahu), Avanee Joshi (Ruhani), Diorr Varghese (Jhimli), Aadesh Pandit (Pinku) and Jimpa Sangpo Bhutia (Jimpa) do well in supporting roles. All in all, Mardaani 3 is a captivating thriller. This is one franchise that doesn’t get discussed enough, despite being consistently impressive. Here’s hoping it finally gets its due and earns a rightful place among Bollywood’s most successful film series.
My rating – *** ½ out of 5!