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India’s Yash Raj Films (YRF) has tapped fresh talent to helm the third installment of its successful “Mardaani” franchise, with Bollywood star Rani Mukerji returning as police officer Shivani Shivaji Roy. “The Railway Men” scribe Aayush Gupta will pen the screenplay, while Abhiraj Minawala is set to direct.
Production is scheduled to begin in April, marking the franchise’s first entry since 2019’s “Mardaani 2.” The announcement comes from YRF head Aditya Chopra, who has positioned Gupta and Minawala as rising talents within the studio’s creative ranks.
Minawala, currently serving as associate director on “War 2,” comes to the project after working on YRF productions including “Band Baaja Baraat,” “Sultan” and “Tiger 3.” Gupta joins fresh off the international success of Netflix’s “The Railway Men,” produced by YRF, which marked his streaming debut as a screenplay writer.
“I’m thrilled to announce that we are starting shooting of ‘Mardaani 3‘ in April 2025,” Mukerji said in a statement. “I’m proud to essay the character of this feisty cop again in ‘Mardaani 3’ as a tribute to all the unsung, brave, self-sacrificing cops who work tirelessly every single day to keep us safe.”
Popular on Variety The actress described the upcoming installment as “dark, deadly and brutal,” noting the franchise’s responsibility to meet audience expectations. “Mardaani” stands as Hindi-language cinema’s leading female-driven franchise, with both previous entries achieving commercial success over the past decade.
“When we set out to make ‘Mardaani 3,’ we were hoping that we find a script that would take the experience of watching a ‘Mardaani’ franchise film higher,” Mukerji said. “I am really excited about what we have at hand and I’m only hoping that the audience too feel the same after watching ‘Mardaani 3’ in theaters.”
“Mardaani 3” will release theatrically worldwide in 2026. Mukerji was last seen in critical and commercial success “Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway” (2023).
