Mardaani 3 2026 Mardaani 3

Film · 2026 · Hindi · Action

Mardaani 3

TezScore67/100 Mixed Growing coverage · 3 scored of 8 Indian-media reviews How TezScore works
129 min 30 Jan 2026
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Synopsis

Mardaani 3

In Bulandshahr, Ruhani, the daughter of Indian Diplomat Sahu, is abducted while playing hide-and-seek with Jhimli, the daughter of a domestic help. When Jhimli attempts to intervene, she is abducted as well. Meanwhile, in the Sundarbans, SSP Shivani Shivaji Roy dismantles a women and drug trafficking operation. Impressed by her work, Sahu recommends Shivani to lead the investigation into Ruhani’s disappearance, while also announcing a public ransom of ₹2 crore. The kidnappers initially hand the girls over to Amma, the powerful leader of a beggar mafia network, but later take Ruhani to extort the ransom directly. Despite Shivani overseeing the exchange, the criminals evade using a prerecorded video call to deceive the police. One gang member is captured and reveals links to Amma’s organisation. Shivani discovers that 93 girls aged eight to nine from impoverished families have gone missing in three months, leading her to suspect that Ruhani was abducted after being mistaken for a poor child. Following leads, the police track two of Amma’s enforcers to Treta Trust, a rehabilitation centre run by Ramanujan, who claims to work against beggar mafias. The enforcers are killed in an encounter while attempting to murder him. Soon after, Amma intimidates Shivani by breaking into her home. A raid on Prince Lodge results in a shootout where the kidnappers are killed, and Ramanujan is sent to rescue Ruhani.

Director
Abhiraj Minawala
Release
30 Jan 2026
Run time
129 min
Language
Hindi

Cast & crew

Rani Mukerji Rani Mukerji Cast Janki Bodiwala Janki Bodiwala Cast Jisshu Sengupta Jisshu Sengupta Cast MA Mallika Prasad Cast AB Abhiraj Minawala Director AA Aayush Gupta Writer Aditya Chopra Aditya Chopra Producer

Reviews

Indian-media reviews, grouped by reception.

Critics' consensus

Mixed

Across 8 available source-linked Indian-media reviews for Mardaani 3, reception is mixed. The 3 scored reviews average 67/100.

Best forViewers looking for action and thriller in Hindi cinema.

All 8 reviews shown

Bollywood Hungama
Aayush Gupta, Deepak Kingrani and Baljeet Singh Marwah's story is fantastic. Aayush Gupta's screenplay is thoroughly gripping. But the writing could have been sharper. Aayush Gupta's dialogues enhance the drama. The monologue of Shivani stands out. Abhiraj Minawala's direction is impressive. He ensures that the film remains in the zone of MARDAANI [2014] and MARDAANI 2 [2019], both of which were not directed by him. This is also the lengthiest film of the series and yet, he ensures that there's not a single dull or boring moment. The story begins from the first frame. Shivani's entry is quite massy. The film gets better with the metro station sequence. The introduction of new characters adds to the fun. The interval point comes as a bolt from the blue. It raises the stakes in the second half.
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Hindustan Times Rishabh Suri
Ultimately, Mardaani 3 may not reinvent the franchise, but it reinforces why it matters. Even when it treads familiar ground and doesn’t quite land all its twists, the film remains anchored by the sheer authority of Rani Mukerji’s Shivani, a screen presence that still cuts through noise. I am giving an extra half star for what gives this chapter its continued relevance- its refusal to look away from crimes against women and children. It treats the subject not as spectacle but as a grim, ongoing reality that demands accountability. This chapter works less as a shock and more as a statement of continuity. Mardaani 3 may not be the sharpest entry in the series, but it is a sobering reminder that Shivani’s fight, much like the crimes it confronts, is far from over.
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The Indian Express Shubhra Gupta
But some of the unease she generates is blunted by the tacked-on rigmarole about deadly illnesses, viruses, human guinea pigs and greedy medical corporations. No other character is allowed to be bigger than Roy– understandable as she is the hero of this Yash Raj-produced enterprise–which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Mukerji is a solid actor, and we go along with her as she leads from the front, with everyone else following in her rear. But even she can’t do much with the degree of over-writing and predictable plot-points: when a character says aap rath chalao, aur mujhe saarthi banne do, or words to that effect, we know exactly where this is going, just as we do when too-good-to-be-true characters crop up.
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Media & trailers

Source-linked video records attached to this title.

Details

Soundtrack

  • Babbar Sherni Sarthak Kalyani, Dee MC

Technical specs

Release date
30 Jan 2026
Run time
129 min
Language
Hindi
Country
IN
Director
Abhiraj Minawala
Distributor
Yash Raj Films

Trivia

  • Rani Mukerji was confirmed to reprise her role as Shivani Shivaji Roy when Yash Raj Films officially announced the project on 13 December 2024.
  • Mallika Prasad was cast as the antagonist, marking her as the first female villain in the Mardaani franchise.
  • Abhiraj Minawala was appointed as the director, replacing Gopi Puthran who wrote and directed Mardaani 2.
  • Principal photography for the film began in March 2025 and concluded in November 2025.
  • Filming locations included Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana, Noida, Pondicherry, and Colombo.
  • The film was theatrically released on 30 January 2026, having been preponed from its initial scheduled date of 27 February 2026.

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