Rani Mukerji, Director Abhiraj Minawala Worked On Mardaani 3 'As Parents' - EXCLUSIVE

Mardaani

3 is one of those rare films that have a female lead, female villain and a hard-hitting realistic plot. The captain of the ship - Director Abhiraj Minawala has opened up about his creative partnership with Rani Mukerji, revealing that the film was shaped with a deeply personal and protective approach. In an exclusive chat with Zoom, Minawala shared how he and the actor approached the third installment of the franchise 'as parents,' ensuring that the story of Shivani Shivaji Roy is handled with authenticity and emotional responsibility.

Rani Mukerji has lived Shivani Shivaji Roy - Mardaani 3 director

Mardaani 3 marks the return of Rani Mukerji as Shivani Shivaji Roy, a character she has embodied across two previous films. For Minawala, stepping into a franchise with such a legacy came with both excitement and responsibility. “When I first read the film, like I told you, there obviously was a very strong impact that the story and script had on me,” he shared. “And also knowing that, obviously it's going to be Rani ma’am that I'm going to be working with - not just the fact that she has 30 years of experience, but also the fact that she has lived Shivani Shivaji Roy for two films.”

The director admitted that his most crucial preparation involved spending extensive time with Rani to understand her perspective on the script and the character. “Who better knows Shivani than her?” he said. “The most important part of my prep was actually spending a lot of time with her to understand what her thoughts are on the script, to understand what Shivani Shivaji Roy thinks, the way she thinks."

Rani Mukerji, Abhiraj Minawala approached Mardaani 3 as parents

Minawala further said that trust was fundamental to their collaboration. “It was important for us to start trusting each other. There was that trust factor because we thought we were aligned on the same page.” Interestingly, he described their creative dynamic in deeply emotional terms. “This is not just any film that an actor and a director and a producer are coming together to make. We always spoke of this - we are parents who are making this film. And that’s one thing that we always thought of throughout the making of the film.”

Mardaani 3 is the sequel to the 2019 film Mardaani 2 and the third installment in the cop thiller franchise. The narrative follows Shivani as she investigates the mysterious disappearance of 93 young girls within just three months, a case that promises to test her resolve and instincts like never before. Alongside Rani Mukerji, the film stars Janki Bodiwala as Constable Fatima Anwar, Mallika Prasad as the chilling villain Amma, and Jisshu Sengupta as Dr. Bikram Roy, Shivani’s husband.