'Mardaani' franchise born out of rage after Nirbhaya case: Rani
What's the story
Bollywood actor Rani Mukerji recently spoke about the emotional origins of the Mardaani franchise during a promotional event for her upcoming movie Mardaani 3 at St Xavier's College. She revealed that the first part was conceived in response to the collective anger and grief following the infamous Nirbhaya case, which shook India. The third film will release on January 30, 2026.
Emotional response
'As women, as girls, I think we were shocked...'
Mukerji told Bollywood Hungama, "The first part... you all must be aware of the Nirbhaya case, which kind of shook the entire nation at that point in time." "The sheer brutality of the case, the sheer audacity with which the crime was committed...it kind of shook us as a nation." "As women, as girls, I think we were shocked. We were completely shattered."
Film's intent
'Mardaani' was born out of the sheer rage...'
Mukerji emphasized that Mardaani was never intended to be a franchise but rather a response to the collective anger and grief felt by the team. "Mardaani was born out of the sheer rage and anger that we felt as a team, whether it was Aditya Chopra the producer, me as an actor, Pradeep Sarkar the director, Gopi Puthran, the writer," she said.
Film's focus
'Mardaani 3' will focus on missing girls
The upcoming Mardaani 3 will continue the franchise's engagement with real-world issues, focusing on the issue of missing girls. Mukerji said, "There has to be more awareness, more conversations, because you all girls will go to college, sometimes you come back late." "There are young girls who work late at night." The movie is directed by Abhiraj Minawala.