Mardaani 2 - When you want to kill two birds with one stone, you often risk both. Mardaani 2 packs the twin objectives of highlighting the atrocities & crimes against Indian women (India stands at an appalling 131 among 152 nations for inclusivity and equality of women) and pulling off a high octane chase of a psychopathic criminal and in doing so, chooses a simplistic approach for both.
Shivani Shivaji Roy (a svelte Rani Mukherjee) returns to the screen as the high potential achiever, SP for Kota and almost immediately jumps headlong into the brutal rape and murder of a young girl, and issues a challenge to the unknown perpetrator that she will arrest him within a week. Her prey is a hardened young psychopath Sunny (Vishal Jethwa) who has been employed by a local politician for eliminating his obstacles. Sunny is incidentally on the hunt for women who are achievers or think independently, as they turn him on and are not in congruence with his definition of women who must be confined to domestic chores and kitchens.
Mardaani 2 makes the cat and mouse game quite riveting as Shivani shifts through myriad clues, connecting them together to trace down Sunny, but every investigative discovery seems to be hinging on intelligent hunches and hypotheses which fail to convince viewers who have been exposed to "Criminal Minds". The women empowerment & inclusivity issue is dealt with by Shivani going into a 3-minute long powerful rant against the misogyny, hypocrisy and regressive patriarchal society that is India.
With a short running time of about 105 minutes, Mardaani 2 is still a racy, intense and brisk thriller that doesn't let your interest wane even once. Rani Mukherjee as the sharp speaking, headline grabbing and authoritative investigator is very impressive indeed. Vishal Jethwa is brilliant as the distorted minded, highly expressive psychopath who matches Rani Mukherjee's prowess. Had the criminal investigation been somewhat more intelligent or credible, Mardaani 2 could have matched The Silence of The Lambs.
Shivani Shivaji Roy (a svelte Rani Mukherjee) returns to the screen as the high potential achiever, SP for Kota and almost immediately jumps headlong into the brutal rape and murder of a young girl, and issues a challenge to the unknown perpetrator that she will arrest him within a week. Her prey is a hardened young psychopath Sunny (Vishal Jethwa) who has been employed by a local politician for eliminating his obstacles. Sunny is incidentally on the hunt for women who are achievers or think independently, as they turn him on and are not in congruence with his definition of women who must be confined to domestic chores and kitchens.
Mardaani 2 makes the cat and mouse game quite riveting as Shivani shifts through myriad clues, connecting them together to trace down Sunny, but every investigative discovery seems to be hinging on intelligent hunches and hypotheses which fail to convince viewers who have been exposed to "Criminal Minds". The women empowerment & inclusivity issue is dealt with by Shivani going into a 3-minute long powerful rant against the misogyny, hypocrisy and regressive patriarchal society that is India.
With a short running time of about 105 minutes, Mardaani 2 is still a racy, intense and brisk thriller that doesn't let your interest wane even once. Rani Mukherjee as the sharp speaking, headline grabbing and authoritative investigator is very impressive indeed. Vishal Jethwa is brilliant as the distorted minded, highly expressive psychopath who matches Rani Mukherjee's prowess. Had the criminal investigation been somewhat more intelligent or credible, Mardaani 2 could have matched The Silence of The Lambs.