Mardaani 3 movie review from UAE: Rani Mukerji’s savage justice against kidnappers is cathartic, but loud

Dubai: There is something heartening about watching the feisty Rani Mukerji take on criminals in her slightly heeled boots, vest and an oversized shirt. It has become her signature. But familiar swagger can only take a film so far. Mardaani 3 doesn’t bore you, but it leaves little room for nuance.

The tropes are familiar. Shivani Shivaji Roy, played confidently and efficiently by Rani Mukerji, returns as a cop with a new mission. This time, it is the beggar mafia and the serial kidnapping of pre-pubescent girls.

The economics of crime also enter the narrative, which was the most interesting bit. Two girls go missing on the same day: one is an ambassador’s daughter, the other the daughter of his driver.

The law enforcement machinery’s bias toward saving the richer child over the poorer one is flagged almost immediately. There is little subtlety in how this point is made.

It is Shivani’s show all the way. The film works largely because of Rani Mukerji’s star power and charisma. She's wicked when it comes to punishing the baddies.

Speaking of baddies, in the Mardaani franchise, the antagonists are usually layered and memorable. This time, the villain Mallika Prasad, known as “Amma”, is drawn in broad strokes. Her cat eyes, large red bindi, gold disc nose ring and crooked rings announce her evil too clearly. Her backstory is also familiar: a childhood destroyed after she and her sister are sold to a brother. There is no restraint in how her cruelty is portrayed. Yet watching the two women — Rani as the cop and grinding-teeth Amma — verbally spar, their smouldering eyes and mutual disgust sparking off each other, is genuinely entertaining.

There are some scenes that stand out. The opening scene is chilling. She is seen carrying the corpse of a baby who may have died of sunstroke or excess opium inhalation.

The child’s mother, whose uterus is “for hire”, is a drug addict herself and already three months pregnant again. She is more concerned about getting her next fix than about the baby she had rented out for begging on the streets.

There is, however, another villain in the film — a surprise package. More restrained and far more interesting than “Amma”, his presence adds a layer of intrigue the narrative badly needs. What is also compelling is the motive behind the kidnapping of young girls. It does not follow the familiar sexual abuse template, and that deviation makes the film more watchable and unsettling in a different way.

The story gathers momentum in the second half, viewers should be warned that patience is required before it gets there.

This is no Mare of Easttown or Delhi Crime, where restraint and psychological depth shape the investigation.

Mardaani 3 operates in broader strokes. Yet Rani Mukerji shines in moments where Shivani Roy exercises cop brutality. Her refusal to play by the book when dealing with those she believes belong in hell is strangely cathartic to watch. It may not be right, but it is undeniably effective.

The film remains engaging largely because it moves at a frisky pace. But the steps feel familiar and the evil is always obvious.

Mardaani 3 keeps you watching, even if it never truly surprises you.