Mardaani is about standing up for the right

Rani Mukerji-starrer Mardaani left a huge impact on the minds of the audience. The film, which tackled the subject of human trafficking, achieved critical acclaim and was a box-office winner too. Mardaani 2, which highlights juvenile crimes, is equally heart wrenching. The Gopi Puthran-directorial will see Rani return as tough cop Shivani Shivaji Roy. Produced by Aditya Chopra, the film is set to hit theatres on December 13.

In the midst of promoting the film, Rani says that the reason behind making Mardaani  was the anger that everyone felt after the Nirbhaya incident. “We want to make women aware of the threats that loom over them. Which is why we dealt with human trafficking in our first film and now we are dealing with rape crimes. Greater awareness can help women, only then can they protect ourselves. The kind of love we got for Mardaani made us think that we should make this into a franchise and make films dealing with different types of crimes. We want to keep highlighting social evils and keep sparking conversations that bring attention to serious issues in our country. That said, it took Gopi quite some time to come up with a script that was as powerful as the first, and a crime that should be addressed,” she says. 

Mardaani 2 deals with rape and juvenile criminals, which is a huge menace today. “When Gopi came to me with the script, I connected. Nirbhaya and the kind of rape cases we get to hear nowadays are demonic. All these horrific cases led Gopi to write about the subject and give out the message, ‘How one can deal with a problem like this and protect themselves?’” says Rani adding, “This is a serious threat that can’t be ignored and all kinds of precautions must be taken to protect women. A mirror of society, Mardaani series aims to educate, create awareness and also leave a strong message for people to sit up and notice. Some films do have the responsibility to bring about a social change. We are one of them. We will try to bring out the hard realities.” 

Reflecting the times
Ask Rani if there was a sense of responsibility and pressure while working on the sequel and she says, “More than pressure, we had to be careful about the fact that we were tackling or talking about a crime, which is horrendous and very much prevalent today. It also talks about juvenile criminals. Mardaani 2 is equally or rather more relevant,” says the award-winning actress.   
 
Portraying the character 
Getting back into the character of Shivani Shivaji Roy may have been challenging. Telling us more, she says, “In Mardaani 2, I am playing Superintendent of Police, so the approach towards the role was different. In the first, I was a Crime Branch officer, so my work was more in disguise and showed a different side of the force.” 

In the second film, she will be seen more in the khaki uniform, tackling the law upfront. “There is a slight change in the way I approach my character in this film,” says the actress whose last film Hichki also became a box-office success not just in India but internationally too. 
 
Emotionally exhausting  
Rani says that working on Mardaani 2 was emotionally draining. “It does take a mental toll. Reading about these crimes in the papers is one thing and enacting certain things on screen requires a different mindset. Luckily, as an actor, I have learnt to switch on and off when I am in front of the camera and not ,” she says, adding, “Making a film on the subject gives me great satisfaction. We are doing something about the issue, rather than just sitting at home and feeling angry. I am very happy that Mardaani franchise stands for this kind of storyline and talks about women empowerment because there are many female police officers who are working tirelessly 24x7 and getting to portray their bravery and courage is rewarding. It gives me immense pleasure to be a part of the franchise.”
 
Defining ‘mardaani’ 
Rani strongly believes that both women and men can nurture their ‘mardaani’ skills. “Mardaani here is not gender specific. Also, just because you are a man does not make you a man. Men who stand up and have the courage to display their mardaangi are the real men. Mardaani is about being fearless and standing up for the right,” she says.

Equality from a young age 
We need to explain to our girls and boys that all are equal. “Just because men are muscular we say, ‘Oh, he is stronger than you’. It’s important that we tell our children, girl or boy, that both are equally strong and both are meant to be respected, which starts at home. The way the husband treats the wife has a huge impact on the male child. If the child sees the dad being disrespectful towards the mother or hitting her, he will learn the same. He will think that it’s okay to treat women like that,” she points out. 

Rani further says that girls need to learn to protect themselves, which can happen at two levels. “One, they need to be aware about the dangers looming in society today and therefore they need to be vigilant. Two, they need to protect themselves physically from a situation because there cannot be a police officer everywhere. That said, as a society we have to make sure that the crime is not committed in the first place,” says Rani adding that she hopes the film starts a dialogue.