Movie Review: Mardaani

In an industry where the actors are the dominating stars and the actresses have a shelf life, women-centric films never really did too well till ‘Fashion’ happened. Then, others followed- ‘The Dirty Picture’, ‘Kahaani’, ‘English Vinglish’ to name a few; few successful films indeed since there have been disasters too

like ‘Saat Khoon Maaf’, ‘What’s Your Rashee?’ or a lesser known and little old but brilliant ‘Samay’. My point is- our heroes continue to dominate the screen though things have got a tad better. There were films where the limelight was on the actress earlier too but like then, even now most such films are made to prove a point that she can act as well. Remember Madhuri Dixit being written off by critics at a point of time and how she shut them up with a stellar performance in ‘Mrityudand’? This time it is Rani Mukerji (Chopra) who is back to show she still exists.

I, for one have not really been much of a Rani fan but she is one of those few actresses who did really act in many movies and was lucky to be a part of them. She was brilliant in ‘Black’ (though I found the movie depressing) and good in many- ‘Veer-Zaara’, ‘Hum Tum’, ‘Saathiya’ and ‘Chalte Chalte’ came to my mind while recollecting now. She was considered the best actress for a certain period- the Rani of Bollywood. And then… history repeated! None of our actresses have stood the test of superstardom like our actors have. So, we had Dilip Kumar and Big B ruling the market for years close to a decade or two during their times; and we have the Khans, Kumar and Roshan doing the same now. Be it yesteryear actresses or Sridevi or Madhuri, they all were overthrown by some younger actress or the other. Then, they have what is called the comeback film mostly after a gap post marriage- some films work, some don’t. However, ‘Mardaani’ isn’t Rani’s comeback film. She was very much here but needed a film; a good film.

After a decent ‘Parineeta’ but disastrous ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag’ and ‘Lafangey Parindey’, Director Pradeep Sarkar brings us ‘Mardaani’– his third film with Yash Raj Films and second with their bahu. Rani Mukerji is Shivani Shivaji Roy- Senior Inspector, Crime Branch- Mumbai. She lives with her husband (Bengali actor Jisshu Sengupta) and niece. Shivani smells a rat when a young girl goes missing from a shelter home and the investigation leads her to a cat-and-mouse game with the mastermind (Tahir Bhasin) of an organized racket, one that deals with girl trafficking and drugs. The guy behind it is a young cool-headed college drop-out from Delhi; the perfect nemesis for Shivani. He calls her Maam and she refers to him as ‘under 19 team ke 12^th man’! ‘Mardaani’ is commercial cinema based on true events and well-made at that.

Sarkar keeps it short and crisp; there are no unnecessary songs or silly item numbers and no romantic track either. It’s justice done to a crime thriller. He resorts to a very simple way of telling the story and there are no twists. What works tremendously for him are the two lead performances- the protagonist (Rani) and the antagonist (Tahir). More on the performances later but credit must also be given to the director to make these two characters appear so real and believable. The villain himself is very unlikely who could have been a hideous fat huge clown had it been a less competent director. However, the story is unimaginative, follows a path you have seen before and you know what is in store. Also, the climax though nicely done is cliché. I loved the way it put forward a message to all girls asking them to be ‘mardaani’ to fight injustice. Dialogues are appropriate and you will love the phone conversations between Rani and Tahir. I literally found myself clapping in a few scenes. Strangely, I didn’t do much of it even in last week’s potboiler ‘Singham Returns’.

Rani Mukerji is simply excellent and yes, this is one of her best performances for sure. If you ask me, I’d say it is her best so far. Does she deserve awards for it? Absolutely! But she will have some stiff competition this year. So, wait and watch. Tahir Bhasin is so good in a negative role that you will like him and that says a lot, given the kind of unlikeability the character is all about. Jisshu Sengupta is in a small meaningless role and has no screen presence either. The supporting cast is good.

Watch it or not: Miss it at your own risk! A must-watch! Second best this year in my list… sadly, there aren’t too many good ones this year so far.

At the Box-Office: It will do average business at the most. ‘Singham Returns’ will still remain the pick of the audience.

• About the Author

About Abhirup Dhar

I don't watch movies... I live them! Let me introduce myself. Abhirup Dhar was born in Kolkata and is still being brought up in India. A banker by profession, he is filmy to the core and is passionate about reviewing movies and writing. He likes to live on his own… he likes to be blunt, sarcastic, famous, infamous, confident, over-confident, moody at times… he likes to be himself. He is imperfect because perfection is boring. His love for movies dates back to his childhood days when he studied in a boarding school. A three-month Winter Vacation every year… and he made sure he watched as many movies then. Parents thought it was a phase... he knew it was Passion and he knew it back then itself. The craziness to watch movies on the Big Screen began during the last two years of school when he literally bunked to town so that he could catch up with the new Hindi Movie releases. Some thought he was plain crazy. He confirmed it was Passion... yet again. The hard fact is that not always can you walk a path you are passionate about. You have expectations to fulfill and Life to be made. But Life gives you chances and you have to grab them. So... here is he... your friendly critic who will be giving you his Verdict every week so that you can decide which release is worth your moolah and which is not! See you at the Movies! Stay connected at Facebook and Twitter!