Mardaani 3 Poster Out: Rani Mukerji’s Return & Release Date

Mumbai, September 22: On the first day of Navratri, Yash Raj Films slipped out a striking new poster for Mardaani 3 and quietly confirmed that Rani Mukerji will be back in uniform on 27 February 2026. For fans who have been waiting six years since Mardaani 2, that’s enough to set the buzz rolling.

A Glimpse Of What’s Coming

The poster doesn’t give away much, but what it does show is deliberate. Just a single hand, Mukerji’s, clutching a black pistol, with a Delhi Police barricade blurred in the background. That’s it. Stark, stripped of frills, is almost unsettling in its simplicity. Released on the festival’s opening day, the image feels like it’s meant to tap into Navratri’s symbolism of power and resistance, though the mood here is far from celebratory.

What it does say is that this time, Shivani Shivaji Roy is headed into the capital. And Delhi, with all its baggage around women’s safety and law enforcement, isn’t just a backdrop. It’s a statement.

Why February Matters

The film’s theatrical date, February 27, 2026, is not accidental either. YRF has avoided the Republic Day weekend clash and the Holi holiday rush, both of which are packed with big-budget releases. A late February slot gives the film breathing room. The Mardaani films have never been about explosive opening-day numbers anyway; they’ve thrived on word of mouth. A quieter window works in their favor.

The Weight Of The Franchise

The Mardaani name now carries its own weight. The first film in 2014, under Pradeep Sarkar, stunned audiences with its unflinching look at child trafficking. The second in 2019, directed by Gopi Puthran, took things darker, following Shivani as she tracked a chilling young serial rapist. Both times, the films struck a nerve because they weren’t just thrillers; they felt ripped from the headlines.

That’s also the burden Mardaani 3 carries. Each chapter has had to push further, not just in terms of action but in holding up a mirror to society’s ugliest corners. If YRF is calling this “the most challenging case of her career,” the stakes aren’t just for Shivani on screen, but for how convincingly the franchise can keep that edge.

A New Hand Behind The Camera

There’s also a change in the director’s chair. This time, Abhiraj Minawala is steering the film, while YRF continues to back it. Minawala comes in with a different sensibility compared to Sarkar or Puthran, both of whom left strong imprints on their respective installments. That makes the third outing something of a reset, a familiar face in front and a new voice behind.

It’s too early to say whether that shift will sharpen the film or dilute its bite, but given the poster’s ominous tone and YRF’s description of the story as “dark, deadly and brutal,” the intent seems clear.

Rani Mukerji’s Relentless Shivani

For Rani Mukerji, Shivani has become a defining late-career role. It isn’t flashy, it isn’t glamorous. It’s tough, scarred, and deeply human. Over the years, she has played Shivani not as a superhero cop but as a woman who gets bruised, rattled, even shaken, yet refuses to bow. That grit is exactly why audiences connect with her, and why a third part makes sense.

In an industry still starved of female-led action dramas, Mukerji’s return is more than just another sequel announcement. It’s a reaffirmation that stories anchored on women, told with seriousness rather than tokenism, can hold their own in a market dominated by male-led spectacles.

Why It Matters Now

The timing also says something about Yash Raj Films. After struggling to find consistent success with their mega-budget universe films, a return to a leaner, content-driven project like Mardaani 3 feels like a recalibration. The studio knows the franchise doesn’t need gloss, it needs grit.

Audiences, meanwhile, will be watching to see if the film can still hit the balance between thriller and social commentary. That’s what gave the first two their power, and that’s the test the third one will face.

For now, all that exists is a poster, a gun, and a date. But sometimes that’s enough. After all, Shivani Shivaji Roy doesn’t need much to signal she’s coming back. The pistol in her grip says it all.

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Ayesha Khan

Entertainment Correspondent – Ayesha@hindustanherald.in – Web

Covers films, television, streaming, and celebrity culture with a focus on storytelling trends.

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