Mardaani 3 brings Rani Mukerji back as SSP Shivani Shivaji Roy for her darkest case yet, and it gave the franchise its biggest opening day. Here are six things to know before you press play.
Mardaani 3 is the third film in Yash Raj Films’ cop franchise, with Shivani chasing a network behind the disappearance of 93 young girls. Directed by Abhiraj Minawala, it opened in cinemas on 30 January 2026, a month earlier than first planned.
The film beat both earlier instalments on day one, then settled into a modest run. It has been streaming on Netflix since 27 March 2026.
Mardaani 3 at a glance
- Release date: 30 January 2026, moved up from 27 February
- Director: Abhiraj Minawala
- Writer: Aayush Gupta
- Producer: Aditya Chopra for Yash Raj Films
- Cast: Rani Mukerji, Janki Bodiwala, Mallika Prasad and Jisshu Sengupta
- Runtime: 129 minutes
- Opening day: ₹4 crore nett in India, a franchise best
- Worldwide gross: about ₹78.82 crore
- Streaming: Netflix from 27 March 2026
The Mardaani films so far
The series began with Mardaani in August 2014, directed by Pradeep Sarkar, in which Shivani, then with the Mumbai Crime Branch, takes on a Delhi trafficking cartel after a teenage orphan is kidnapped. Mardaani 2 followed in December 2019, written and directed by Gopi Puthran, with Shivani hunting a young serial killer in Kota, Rajasthan.
Both were moderate successes: the original grossed ₹59.55 crore worldwide on a ₹21 crore budget, and the sequel ₹67.12 crore on ₹27 crore. Each film is a standalone case, so newcomers can start with the third without feeling lost.
1. Mardaani 3 is Shivani Roy’s darkest case
The story opens in Bulandshahr, where Ruhani, the daughter of a diplomat, is abducted during a game of hide-and-seek along with Jhimli, the daughter of a domestic helper. Her father announces a public ransom of ₹2 crore, and Shivani is put on the case.
The kidnapping turns out to be the tip of something far bigger. Shivani learns that 93 girls aged eight to nine, all from poor families, have gone missing in three months, and she suspects Ruhani was taken by mistake.
We will stop there to avoid spoilers. Like the earlier films, it is built around crimes against women and girls, and it does not soften the subject.
2. Mardaani 3 has the franchise’s first female villain
Mallika Prasad plays Amma, who runs the network behind the missing girls. She is the first woman to lead the villainy in the series, following Tahir Raj Bhasin in the original and Vishal Jethwa in the sequel.
- Rani Mukerji as SSP Shivani Shivaji Roy
- Janki Bodiwala as Constable Fatima Anwar
- Mallika Prasad as Amma
- Prajesh Kashyap as Ramanujan
- Jisshu Sengupta as Dr Bikram Roy, Shivani’s husband
- Indraneel Bhattacharya as Ambassador Sahu, with Avanee Joshi as his daughter Ruhani
3. It marks Rani Mukerji’s 30th year in cinema
Rani Mukerji made her debut in Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat in 1996, so Mardaani 3 arrived in her 30th year as an actor. She wrote on Instagram that having the film release in that year was a sign to keep going, and told The Hollywood Reporter India that “marriage and motherhood changed me, not by slowing me down, but by sharpening my focus”.
Behind the camera, Minawala replaced Gopi Puthran in the director’s chair, with a screenplay by Aayush Gupta, cinematography by Artur Żurawski and a background score by John Stewart Eduri.
YRF announced the film on 13 December 2024. Filming took place mainly in Delhi and Mumbai, with further scenes in Haryana, Noida and Pondicherry.
4. Mardaani 3 had the franchise’s best opening
According to Sacnilk, the film opened at ₹4 crore nett in India. That edged past Mardaani 2 at ₹3.80 crore and the original at ₹3.40 crore, making it the biggest first day in the series.
It made ₹5.95 crore worldwide on day one and ₹38.94 crore in its first week. Wikipedia puts its estimated final worldwide gross at ₹78.82 crore, the biggest total in the series so far.
The bigger picture is less rosy. The Free Press Journal’s first-quarter round-up lists about ₹51 crore in India against a reported ₹60 crore budget and calls the business disappointing, even if it was better than the first two parts. Border 2, released a week earlier, was still dominating cinemas.
5. Mardaani 3 reviews were split
Rotten Tomatoes counted 50% positive from 12 reviews. NDTV’s Saibal Chatterjee gave it 3.5 out of 5 for Mukerji’s “power-packed, unblemished star turn”, The Times of India also gave 3.5, and Firstpost went highest at 4, praising both Mukerji and Mallika Prasad. Bollywood Hungama and News18 matched that 3.5, with reservations about the second-half twists and a script that could have been sharper.
Others were tougher. The Indian Express gave 2 stars, saying Mukerji “can’t do much with the degree of over-writing”, and Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India was negative.
Closer to home, Khaleej Times critic Lekha Menon gave 2.5 stars, calling Mallika Prasad “a worthy rival to Shivani” but finding the second half “so ludicrous that it leaves you wondering if you’re still watching the same film”. Our view: watch for Mukerji, who still makes Shivani feel like a real officer, and lower your expectations for the plotting.
6. Mardaani 3 is streaming on Netflix
Netflix acquired the digital rights and began streaming the film on 27 March 2026. Catalogues differ by country, so viewers in the UAE should search for it in the Netflix app to confirm it is available in their region.
The film also had its television premiere on Sony Max on Sunday 16 August 2026.
Mardaani 3 FAQs
When did Mardaani 3 release?
It released in cinemas on 30 January 2026, ahead of its original 27 February date.
Is Mardaani 3 a hit?
It had the franchise’s best opening, but its total of about ₹51 crore in India against a ₹60 crore budget was called disappointing.
Do I need to watch the first two Mardaani films?
No. Each film is a self-contained case, though Shivani’s history adds weight to the new film.
Read about the Mardaani 3 release date and poster and our list of actresses who played memorable cops, and find more in our Bollywood section.