Rani Mukerji attends Hema Malini’s 75th birthday in Mumbai on Oct.16, 2023. File/AFP

Actress Rani Mukerji has talked about why she loves her character Shivani Shivaji Roy from “Mardaani,” which has completed 10 years in Hindi cinema on Thursday. She said: “Shivani Shivaji Roy is my most favourite on-screen character. She is a defiant, fierce force of nature who will stand up for what is right no matter what. She is someone who subverts gender norms in cinema and shows how a woman can also lead from the front in a male-dominated field.” As the film celebrates its 10th anniversary, rani is grateful for all the love and acclaim that she has received. She said: “I’m truly proud of my ‘Mardaani’ franchise. It is a franchise that keeps on giving. The love, adulation, and the respect that I have received from Mardaani is truly humbling.”

On Thursday morning, the makers of the film teased fans about the next chapter of the franchise. Production Yash Raj Films banner took to YouTube, where they dropped a teaser of sorts, which begins from the first installment, which first released in 2014. The production company captioned it: “10 years of #Mardaani and the next chapter awaits... Celebrating the feisty, daredevil cop #ShivaniShivajiRoy and the spirit of #Mardaani today. Thank you for a decade of love and appreciation for our beloved franchise. We are inspired... again... thanks to you. #raniMukerji #10YearsOfMardaani.”

Rani is too excited to reprise the role and don the cop uniform once again. She said: “I’m looking forward to bringing back Shivani Shivaji Roy on the big screen soon. It’s been a while since I have donned the cop uniform and paid tribute to the women police force of our country.” “Each (woman cop) one of them relentlessly works hard to keep our families safe and I have always loved to salute these fearless women. Shivani will be back and I hope you will give as much love to her as you have always showered for 10 years now!” added the actress.

Directed by Pradeep Sarkar, the first installment of the action thriller revolved around a stern police officer named Shivani Shivaji Roy, whose interest in the case of a kidnapped teenage girl leads her to uncover the secrets of human trafficking by the Indian mafia. The film also stars Jisshu Sengupta, Tahir Raj Bhasin and Saanand Verma in supporting roles. In “Mardaani 2”, the 46-year-old star reprised her role as Shivani and this time her character was after a 21-year-old rapist and murderer, played by newcomer Vishal Jethwa. The film was directed by Gopi Puthran. Rani was last seen in the film “Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway”. Directed by Ashima Chibber, the legal drama also stars Anirban Bhattacharya, Neena Gupta, and Jim Sarbh. “Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway” was inspired by the real-life story of an Indian couple Anurup Bhattacharya and Sagarika Chakraborty whose children were taken away by Norwegian authorities in 2011. Rani was seen portraying the role of Sagarika, who fought with authorities and society to bring her children back to India.

Indo-Asian News Service