Mardaani

Mardaani is a good film released at the right moment.

I say that because of the high proportion of news about rape and sexual assault and attacks on women in the national newspapers in India. Pradeep Sarkar succeeds in retelling the acclaimed Hollywood story (Liam Neeson's Taken) of how an officer single-handedly taken on the traders of flesh. He charms the audience by filling all holes that would've crept up had it been a poorly researched film, like all other recent Bollywood films are.

Here in, we have inspector Shivani (Rani Mukherji) who uses her manliness to search and kill the young boy, a flesh trade kingpin who kidnapped and sold her adopted child into overseas sex rackets. There are chiefly two villains in the film, both of which are good. But I am awestruck by nobody Tahir Bhasin's brilliant performance as the vindictive boss who speaks like he was a born criminal. His air, his diction, his portrayal - all upped my ante in cinema-watching experience. Come climax, this same villain goes through a paradigm shift and seems to have lost all his qualities, which drives the predictability ahead.

But I am not complaining because the 2 hours were never boring. Plus, since it conveys a message that women should stand up with a touch of power for their rights hits the right chord with the large number of women that were present in the theater hall.

Coming to the cuss language, I didn't mind it because it was a necessary component. Mukherji is good, as well. The supporting cast is fine. The title track is surely to hit the charts.

BOTTOM LINE: One of the very few watchable films in 2014 Bollywood, Mardaani is an unexpected treat. If you have 2 hours to spare this weekend, go watch it and come home entertained.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES (You should!)

Mardaani is a brilliant movie, and especially so because it comes in a time so crowded by the larger-than-life police cop, who is way beyond falling into physics of regular procedurals. The casting is picture perfect, and the dialogs, not crispy, but suited well. I appreciate the fact that they didn't push in any songs (except for one song in the end in the background, but that is acceptable), and the movie respects intellect and reality (lending it an 'adult' rating). The whole negative cast of the film is so well cast, (partly because its from a real life story), that I couldn't take my eyes off. Its a recommended movie, (and definitely a better watch than the Expendibles.) and I am happy that people have sensibilities in them to make meaningful cinema.

With a sudden spate of cop-oriented films in Bollywood, the larger- than-life heroism has occupied our mind space ominously. We saw the maverick soldier Akshay Kumar combating the sleeper cells in Holiday and the tough cop Ajay Devgan decimating the corrupt politicians in Singham Returns. Having said that, the Pradeep Sarkar-directed Yash raj films' latest outing "Mardaani" is a departure from the archetypal escapist commercialism. The protagonist here is a lady - Shivani Shivaji Roy(Rani Mukherjee), a no-nonsense crime branch police officer wages a relentless fight to bust a human trafficking racket in Mumbai.

Giving one of the most low-key and unassuming introduction to the lady hero where her team tracks down a small-time criminal , the plot ticks off when a 12-year old street girl,almost like her family member, goes missing from an orphanage which in turn insinuates the operating of a deadly sex racket. Shivani pursues this case strongly as she senses a strong nexus behind this crime scene of terrifying magnitude until she comes in telephonic contact with the mastermind. What ensues is a cat and mouse game to hunt down the criminal and things take an ugly turn when it is taken to the personal level.

A taut thriller in all respects, Mardaani works because of the slick direction. The treatment stays faithful to the dark and grim subject. I admit that some scenes involving the facets of flesh trade appear voyeuristic due to which the film is certified with 'A' rating, but Sarkar redeems them with some engaging conversations between the cop and her nemesis. Equally entertaining is the banter between Shivani and her team and the liberal use of expletives which lends the film an authentic touch. The tussle here is interestingly cerebral for most parts , thanks to the clever writing (Gopi Guthram) until the climactic showdown which is quite formulaic.

Sarkar treads on a different trajectory altogether. With 2 hours running time devoid of naach-gaana , it is quite unusual for a YRF flick. But what makes Mardani consistently watchable is the spirited performances of the entire star-cast. Surely, its crafted as a come-back vehicle for Rani, and the actress does complete justice in terms of depicting strength and emotional heft. She is quite in ease with the lingo, the uniform and the attitude. Tahir Bhasin impresses as the ruthless kingpin of the sex racket, adding a despicable menace to his character. He is not a regular Bollywood baddie, but a college dropout who is tech-savvy, addicted to video game and smart with Bluetooth. Rani's on screen husband played by Jissu Sengupta is almost side-tracked except in one gut- wrenching sequence where he miserably becomes a pawn in the rivalry of the cop and antagonist.

I enjoyed each and every minute of Mardaani. It's not your regular run- off-the-mill stuff and more importantly pushes the envelope of serious cinema without making you feel bored.

I first saw this in a theatre with my dad n son. Revisited it recently on a dvd. It is a solid crime thriller. Rani Mukherjee pulled of the job of a cop very well. The fight sequences r top notch n thank God ther ain't any songs in this film. People may find similarities with Trade (2007) n Taken (2008).

Nowadays when the so-called superstars of bollywood (Salman, Akshay, SRK etc) make such mindless & nonsensical movies in the name of leave-your- brains-at-home comedies (like Kick & Ready & Dabang & Entertainment & what not), Mardaani is a refreshing change.

I am not saying that it's a gem or the best movie out there but it is good. It has a good (although not many twists or turns) story, powerful acting by Rani and the supporting cast, no out-of-context songs and very nice ending.

I see a trend that Bollywood heroines are trying to come up with good movies like Kangana in Queen, Revolver Rani; Priyanka in Mary Kom, Fashion; Vidya in Kahani, No one killed Jessica etc where as the 40+ year old "heroes" are still stuck in the 90s; churning out stupid movies where the girl is mainly for songs. I don't have a problem with those kind of movies too if they are decent; which many aren't. I love a good comedy or action movie as much as I enjoy a serious one. But the movies made by the male "superstars" are not even funny or entertaining; though surprisingly, those movies are in the 200 crore etc club.

I hope we as an audience start to appreciate some diversity that movies like Mardaani portray.