Rani Mukerji: Premise triggered by pain of horrific stories

With Mardaani 2 inspired by 2017 Yamuna Expressway gang-rape, Rani Mukerji says the film is an expression of her rage towards such crimes.

Five years after her tough-as-nails cop act, Rani Mukerji has slipped into the role of Shivani Shivaji Roy again for Mardaani 2. While the trailer shows the actor hot on the heels of a brutal serial rapist, word is that the film has been inspired by the 2017 rape case on Yamuna Expressway. A source close to the project says, "Two years ago, the rape of four women on the Yamuna Expressway had rocked the country. The accused had punctured the car’s tyres, and then looted and gang-raped the women on board. When arrested, the young criminals showed no remorse and the cops suspected that they had committed such crimes in the past, too. The cold-blooded nature of the crime served as the starting point of Mardaani 2."

Writer-director Gopi Puthran recounts that the Yamuna Expressway gang-rape had left him deeply disturbed. While the writer had tackled the child trafficking racket in Mardaani, he felt compelled to bring the heinous crimes committed against women to the screen, with his directorial debut. "Ideas for films like Mardaani 2 tend to come from real-life inspirations because the horrific nature of crimes that you read about in papers, shock you and stay with you. My film is inspired from various such incidents that happened across the country," reflects Puthran, adding that the story focusses on the rise in such crimes committed by juveniles. "We need to pay heed to this."

A still from Mardaani 2

Mukerji, on her part, was deeply invested in the story as soon as she heard the first narration. Hoping that the movie, set in Kota, will start a conversation, she says, "The film is a manifestation of the rage towards violence against women. The premise was triggered by the pain of horrific stories and our sheer bewilderment at how crimes can be so demonic. We want to create awareness about anti-social elements and the evil things people do. We want to tell children and women to be aware. I want women to be empowered, and the perpetrators to be scared."

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