Mardaani 2
Ratings: 4/5
Duration: 2 Hrs 2 Mins
Director: Gopi Puthran
Genre: Drama
Release Date: 13th December, 2019 (India)
Star Cast: Rani Mukerji, Shruti Bapna, Rajesh Sharma, Jisshu Sengupta, Deepika Amin, Vikram Singh Chauhan, Vishal Jethwa
Plot: Mardaani 2 is a sequel to the 2014 film Mardaani. The story is about SP Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji) who has been assigned to nab a young brutal serial rapist, Sunny (Vishal Jethwa) in Rajasthan’s education hub, Kota. While the 2014 film Mardaani dealt with the issue of human trafficking, the sequel is about rape and justice.
Review: Releasing the movie and choosing to sensationalise crime and punishment at such a sensitive time, quadruples the responsibility on its makers’ shoulders. Gopi Puthran has done a brilliant job, be it direction, story, screenplay and dialogues.
The film repetitively highlights the gender inequality and though it tends to stereotype its male characters, and gives Sunny’s character way too many smarts, making some of it seem unrealistic, it was nearly impossible not to be immediately reminded of the barbaric rape incidents.
Rani Mukerji once again steals the show by doing a fine balancing act between being the powerful and the vulnerable. She doesn’t go over-the-top, but captures the nuances required to play a gritty top cop, dealing with heinous crimes, violent murderer, and rape victims.
Vishal Jethwa holds on his character confidently against the powerhouse performer Rani. The television actor Vishal Jethwa as the psychopath Sunny and reminded me of Ashutosh Rana’s character from the movie Dushman. He gets the rustic Rajasthani accent right, just enough and as a debutant, even with his innocent look he delivers a chilling performance.
The first and the second half of the movie are equally engaging, with no songs interrupting the proceedings. With not even a song sequence, 'Mardaani 2' might come across as a dark, gory and excessively violent film. The director has utilised each second of the runtime and there is barely any room for the viewers to take eyes off the screen. In short, it makes one eager to watch the second half, once the first half ends.
Yes, the movie is gripping, a brutal story that needs to be told. And dealing with such a sensitive subject like brutal sexual violence against women, perhaps this is the only way to shock viewers into awareness.
It is a must watch for those who feel helpless upon reading reports of the crime against women that keeps happening every now and then.
Whether you are a feminist or not, 'Mardaani 2' will keep its audience hooked from the first till the last scene, which ensures there’s never a dull moment in Mardaani 2. Highly recommend!
