Bollywood actor Rani Mukerji is celebrating the success of her recently released film Mardaani 3. Despite strong word-of-mouth publicity, the film has collected just over Rs 27 crore so far, even with the franchise's popularity and past success.
The film became embroiled in controversy when social media posts claimed that the surge in missing children in Delhi and Mumbai was linked to Mardaani 3 promotions, as the film centres on crimes against children and kidnappings.
On Friday, the Delhi Police addressed the issue on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "After following a few leads, we discovered that the hype around the surge in missing girls in Delhi is being pushed through paid promotion. Creating panic for monetary gains won't be tolerated, and strict action will be taken against those responsible."
Rani Mukerji and her team strongly refuted reports of any paid campaign. A Yash Raj Films (YRF) spokesperson, "Yash Raj Films is a 50-year-old company built on ethics and transparency. We strongly deny social media claims that Mardaani 3's promotional campaign has sensationalised a sensitive issue. We trust the authorities will share the facts in due course."
According to earlier reports, the Delhi Police recorded 807 missing persons this year, averaging 54 cases per day. Among them were 509 women and girls and 298 men, with 191 minors and 616 adults. Of these cases, 235 individuals were traced, while 572 remained untraced.
Rani Mukerji celebrates Mardaani 3 success with Ahaan Panday, Rekha, Huma Qureshi; Fatima Sana Shaikh reviews film
Amid the controversy, Rani hosted a special screening of Mardaani 3 on Friday, February 6, attended by prominent industry figures including Rekha, Huma Qureshi, Saqib Saleem, Ahaan Panday, Aneet Padda, Keerthy Suresh, and Rani's Mardaani 2 co-star Vishal Jethwa. The group celebrated the film's success and shared photos from the event on social media.
Vishal Jethwa praised Rani Mukerji and expressed his desire to return as a villain if Mardaani 4 is made. Having played a pivotal role in Mardaani 2, Vishal said, "Mardaani will always be special to me, and so will Rani ma'am. Working with her has been one of the most important learning experiences of my life. She leads by example with honesty, strength, and grace. Reuniting with her at the screening brought back so many memories, and I couldn't be more grateful to have been part of this journey."
Rani added, "Mardaani is Rani Mukerji ma'am, and Rani Mukerji ma'am is Mardaani. No one can perform Shivani Shivaji Roy better than her. I want to come back as a villain in Mardaani 4."
Sharing moments from the screening on Instagram, Huma Qureshi posted a warm picture with Rekha, writing, "Posing with my forever icon. An evening full of love... Rekha ma'am." She also shared another photo with Saqib Saleem and Rani Mukerji, captioning it, "Only love for you... Rani ma'am... what a performance #Mardaani3. Blown away."
Fatima Sana Shaikh took to her Instagram stories to share a still from Mardaani 3 featuring Rani Mukerji. She wrote, "Watched Mardaani 3 last night! An absolutely gripping, hard-hitting film. The conviction and strength that Rani ma'am brings to the screen is inspiring and breathtaking. Kaise kar lete ho yaar aap! (How do you do it?)."
She further added that not just Rani, every single actor in the film has delivered a brilliant performance. "Every single actor has knocked it out of the park. This one has to be experienced in theatres. Aisi filmein aur banni chahiye.. aur humein jaa kar dekhni chahiye. (More films like this should be made... and we should go watch them)," she added. She further congratulated the entire team of Mardaani 3, and called it an 'incredible film'.
Mardaani 3 is directed by Abhiraj Minawala and produced by Aditya Chopra. Written by Aayush Gupta of The Railway Men fame, the film exposes the grim realities of human trafficking. While Mardaani (2014) highlighted crimes against children, and Mardaani 2 (2019) explored the psyche of a serial rapist challenging the system, Mardaani 3 delves into another dark and brutal reality, further cementing the franchise's legacy of impactful, issue-driven storytelling.
The first Mardaani film, released in 2014, featured Rani Mukerji alongside Jisshu Sengupta, Tahir Raj Bhasin, and Anant Vidhaat Sharma. The second instalment, directed by Gopi Puthran, premiered in 2019, with Rani reprising her role as Shivani Shivaji Roy.
