Mardaani Movie Review

Rating: 3.5/5

Critic Rating: (3.5/5)

Mardaani Movie Review: There is a man in every wo’man’!

Thumbs Up: Rani’s brilliant acting, well-knit plot, amazing storyline

Thumbs Down: Nothing much, actually a little predictability

Yawns: Not really

India is such a country where women and girls are given the stature of a Goddess and at the same time considered to be under the shoe of the man. Where girls are not even safe at home, leave alone on road; where in every eight minutes a girl is trafficked; where innocent girls are pushed into prostitution; where before you see the world you are killed in the womb just because you are a girl; in such a land, emerges a Mardaani, a story that proves to be an unmatched example.

It the story of every Indian Woman, who fights back for her own right, who doesn’t bow down to the Male Chauvinistic Ego and who doesn’t need a man guiding her at every footstep. Indian is diverse in too many forms, but when a Mardaani emerges in Indian Women, it is united in the spirit of Heroism.

Shivani Shivaji Roy is the epitome of all Dabangg-giri and SinghamDom. Instilled in her are all those mannerisms and avatars that have shown all the face of Indian women and the prevalent Policegiri. Based on a true story, it is the tale of a valiant and fearless female cop, who is on the hunt to find her daughter-like missing Pyaari, unveils the biggest Sex Trafficking and Drugs Racket engulfing innocent lives. Shivani doesn’t only do this to find a missing Pyaari, but hunts the uncouth culprits down for every Pyaari in India who suffers at the hands of Human Traffickers. She is physically tough, mentally smart, witty, and mentally sharp and yet she has oodles of maternalistic affection to offer.

Pradeep Sarkar has weaved his magic once again and with a Mardaani Rani Mukherjee, we are left stunned. The bare truth and the harsh reality depicted in the film will subconsciously leave a mark and will definitely leave you pondering about things other than just masala and Entertainment.

Being a girl is not a crime, but sadly our society makes every girl feel so. Either she is suppressed by the Bigger-than-Mount-Everest Male Ego, or abused or viewed as a mere object for sexual endeavors. And when she fights back, there will be a queued up gang to just pull her down, which sadly even includes the female prototype. Mardaani breaks through all clichés and stereotypes and makes Indian Women feel proud about something.

Star Performances:

No matter how much be told about Rani Mukherji as Shivani Shivaji Roy,it will seem insufficient when attempted to express in definite words. With Mardaani, Rani Mukherji marches past all Khans, Kapoors, Kumars and Devgns. She shines brilliantly and her sheen is blinding. Easing herself into the character seemed like cakewalk. Her sheer portrayal as the fearless cop will inspire so many young girls who’d like to be like Shivani. A very well-written role and pulled off very efficaciously by Rani. Always malleable, Rani has yet again proved her acting caliber with this film, even at 36. Talent knows no age!

Surprising all by his cut-to-cut performance is the 27 year old Tahir Bhasin in the role of Karan Rastogi a.k.a Walt, who is the Mafia Kingpin of the whole game. His style is natural and so is his acting. The newbie just delivered a scintillating performance. He gave the character the extra edge that made Walt look more ruthless, shrewd and inhumane. But then again you just can’t seem to hate his maneuvers even in the role of an antagonist.

The parts given to each one were played with excellence. Bengal’s pride Jissu Sengupta, had a brief role and there was not much for him to do. The young girl Priyanka Sharma in the role of Pyaari just makes you connect to the plight and it really takes a lot of mental preparation on part of a young girl to pull off such a role.

Technicalities:

The film has just covered almost all aspects very well. With a very strong script and powerful dialogues Gopi Puthran has given us a very beautiful story. The master of the play, Pradeep Sarkar has time and again given to the audiences, evergreen and amazing roles and memories in terms of his movies. With Mardaani making to the list, Pradeep Sarkar has added another feather to his cap. He knows the art of projecting his vision clearly to the audiences and that just shows in his body of work.

The depiction is relatable and very real. The action doesn’t at all look larger than life, and even so the tone of the film is quite natural. Cinematographer Artur Zurawski has done a laudable job. All in all, the film is good on the technical aspects and also on the acting front. The performances are simply amazing and Mardaani will be a film that will remain close to your heart and your conscience.

Watch or Not:

It is highly recommended. Though the A Certificate bars the film from under 18 audiences’ viewing, it would have been a wiser and quite helpful choice for girls over 12 years to be able to view the film. The film is likely to gain a very very strong word-of-mouth publicity. Mardaani is a film you should definitely not miss. And this India really needs to see this film. People should never forget a basic concept; there is a Man in every Wo’man’ and she is always Mardaani!

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