Rani Mukerji cannot be faulted for not trying different roles with her starring in films as varied as ‘No One Killed Jessica’ and ‘Aiiyya’ in the very recent past. However, she is back with her home production house Yash Raj Films with the Pradeep Sarkar directed ‘Mardaani’. The promos have been gritty and it is devoid of any songs or dances. Does the film then live up to the promise of a bold, gritty thriller?
Story: Shibani Shivaji Roy is a crime branch investigator at Mumbai Police. She leads a rather ordinary cop life with her doting husband and a loveable niece. She rescues a street urchin called Pyaari once from the station but she vanishes without any trace. This is when Shivani discovers that she was not kidnapped but there’s an organized human trafficking racket who has taken away the girl. Shivani employs every possible way to get to the perpetrators and this leads to a very explosive climax.
Pradeep Sarkar is a competent film director. After rather forgettable films like Lafange Parinde and Laga Chunri Mein Daag, he is back with a genre he has never tried before. The serious issue based cinema. However, helped by a solid screenplay which has been deftly researched by Gopi Puthran, Sarkar’s direction doesn’t go wrong. He delivers a bold film which is both entertaining and thrilling and doesn’t drive away from the core issue but the pacing in the second half could have been swifter.
Mardaani Movie Review
The technical aspects of Mardaani are what makes the film so watchable and engrossing with the acting being an lucrative addon. The cinematography manages to keep a realistic tone and the editing is also very neatly done with none of the portions overstaying their welcome. The background score is very powerful. The casting is one of the strongest parts of Mardaani.
Rani Mukerji delivers a stunning performance full of bravery and realistic acting. Mardaani works on the basis of Rani’s fantastic acting which aids the film to rise from an ordinary tale to a fascinating film. The other actors also play their part and most of them are perfectly cast as has been previously discussed. Tahir Bhasin who plays the lead pimp is a knockout and comes across as a huge surprise.
Mardaani is exhilarating cinema almost at its best. If not for the slowness in the second half, Mardaani could have reached the levels of Kahaani and Queen. Having said that, if you are in the mood for some gritty cinema and you want to get entertained at the same time, Mardaani is a film that you should watch.
It will take a decent opening at the box office because the marketing has been good and if the public likes the grittiness of Mardaani it will surely grow to be a hit.
Positives:
- Rani Mukherji’s flawless acting
- The editing and cinematography accentuate the tone
- The screenplay is finely researched
- The grittiness and entertainment quotient never compete with each other
Negatives:
- The pacing in the second half could have been crispier.
- The music could have been made to fit in well with the tone of the film
Rating: 
