The Rani Mukerji-starrer Mardaani 3 is a bona fide hit at the box office, and its trending in the second weekend has been quite appreciated. As expected, its director, Abhiraj Minawala, is all smiles. The first two parts of this series were not directed by him. Abhriaj took on the challenge, ensuring the third film feels firmly rooted in the same Mardaani universe, even as he brings his own directorial stamp to it. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Abjiraj Minawala spoke about the response, some key scenes of the film and a lot more.
How have the last two weeks been for you, ever since Mardaani 3 was released? Did you go to the cinema halls to check the audience reaction?
The day the film was released, I was down with a severe viral infection. I had 101 and 102 degree fever and couldn’t even step out of bed the whole weekend. It was like ‘ab film ka bukhaar utrega shayad tumhara’! I was constantly working on the film for the last one year. After I recovered, I went to some theatres. It felt great to see the reaction. After all, when you work hard on creating something for almost a year and when you see the appreciation from the audience, the feeling is something else.
How was it working with a powerhouse performer like Rani Mukerji?
I have been associated with the company (Yash Raj Films) for a very long time. Yet, very strangely, I had never assisted on any of her films. As a result, we had minimal interaction. In fact, just before I met Rani ma’am for the first time to discuss Mardaani 3, Adi sir (producer Aditya Chopra) asked me, ‘You have worked with her before, right?’. I replied, ‘No, sir, I haven’t’ (laughs).
It was an absolute dream to work with her. I don’t think I could have asked for anything better because her experience of being in the film industry for 30 years, as well as her command over her own craft, was empowering. It gave me so much more confidence when I saw someone of her stature performing in this manner. Even after 30 years, she was one of the first people to arrive on set and be ready on time. She’s there whenever you need her and she would go all out. Ek vanity van set pe naam ki hoti thi. She used to only get ready in the van before the shoot. After that, she used to be only on the sets. She would always want to give that extra 200% to every single take.
Rani Mukerji’s entry scene was quite massy…
It was designed by our action director, Parvez Sheikh. We were clear that we wanted to come up with a scene which was exciting but at the same time, realistic. My most important goal was to strike a balance between the two. Also, I was clear that the action should be such that every single move can be done by Rani ma’am. She has done everything by herself.
We did a small shoot before rehearsals called ‘previs’ or pre-visualization. When we showed her the previs, she was very kicked about doing the sequence.
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How did Mallika Prasad and Janki Bodiwala come on board?
Our casting director, Shanoo Sharma, did a great job in scouting for new, fresh and different faces for these characters. We didn’t just look for actors in Mumbai. We expanded our search across India and did tests in Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Lucknow etc. Mallika was traveling somewhere for her workshops when sent us a self-test video. We knew it could be tricky to judge actors purely through self-tests, so we had to rely on instinct – whether the essence of Amma came through. Mallika had that quality more than anyone else. We got her to Mumbai and did workshops and readings with her. We roughly styled her as well. This is when we realized that she was the right fit for the character.
For Fatima’s role, played by Janaki, we wanted an innocent and clean persona; someone who doesn’t come with any baggage. Janki ticked those boxes. Having seen her in Shaitaan (2024) and the original film Vash (2023), we knew that she is a phenomenal actor. I was happy to have such a talented actor like her on board as well.
Both Rani Mukerji and Janki Bodiwala have won the National Award, that too in the same year…
Yes. In fact, there’s a crucial scene in the second half where Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji), while referring to herself and Fatima, tells Mallika, ‘Thodi bahut acting hum dono bhi kar lete hai’. That scene was shot 2-3 days after they received their respective National Awards (smiles). When she uttered the dialogue, I told them, ‘Acting toh aap logon ko aati hai. Isliye toh aap dono National Award jeete ho’!
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Mardaani 3 was preponed by almost a month. What was the reason for it? Did that add to your challenge in delivering the final product on time?
We had announced February 27 as the release date almost a year ago. At that time, the T20 World Cup dates had not come out. We also realized that the Holy month of Ramazan will begin from February 20 or 21. These two factors made us realize that it would make more sense if we shifted our dates. We started discussing if we should advance the release by a week or two weeks. I informed the post-production team to get the film ready as soon as we can. By the first week of January, the film was ready, empowering us to bring out the film in cinemas on January 30.
Having said that, there were many, many sleepless nights (laughs). However, I didn't mind as it kept me going. I was already in the world of Mardaani. I didn’t have to step away and then return to it. I was living those characters and that space right up until the release
Mardaani 3 ends with the promise of Mardaani 4. Is that happening anytime soon?
As of now, I have no idea about it. We would love to build upon this franchise, which was started by the late Pradeep Sarkar. Gopi Puthran, who wrote Mardaani (2014), took it to another level by directing Mardaani 2 (2019). With Mardaani 3, my aim was to ensure that it got love and respect from the audience. My true success would be that part 4 is made, considering the response to part 3. However, just because the franchise is garam doesn’t mean you have to get going right away. Mardaani 2 was released in 2019; we started working on Mardaani 3 only in 2025, when we had the right script. Similarly, when we have the correct story that needs to be told and that audience would love to witness on screen, that would be the right time for Mardaani 4.
More Pages: Mardaani 3 Box Office Collection , Mardaani 3 Movie Review
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