Rani Mukerji's cop thriller 'Mardaani 2' in trouble again, plea for ban on release filed

Ahead of the film's release on December 13, Mardaani 2, helmed by debutant director Gopi Puthran has landed in yet another soup. The film has already faced a lot of criticism after the release of its trailer which showed the city of Kota, Rajasthan as the setting of the film. There has been an uproar among the residents of the Indian city as they claim that the depiction of Kota as an unsafe place for women in the country is unfair. In the latest developments, Taslim Ahmed, a resident of Kota has filed a petition in the Rajasthan high court demanding a ban on the release of Mardaani 2. The petitioner claims that the image of the city of Kota could be tarnished by its portrayal as a crime hotspot of the country. The plot of the film details a fierce female police officer, essayed by actor Rani Mukerji, in her quest to track a serial rapist and murderer and the setting of the film is predominantly the city of Kota, Rajasthan.

Read | 'Mardaani 2' an attempt to show what fearless, self-made woman can do: Rani Mukerji

Recap of the Mardaani 2 controversy

As a precursor to this move by a local resident, a few days ago a corporator from Kota named Gopal Manda had sent a legal notice to Censor Board chairperson Prasoon Joshi, the film's producer Aditya Chopra, director Gopi Puthran, and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. In the notice, demand had been raised to change the name of Kota in the film, with the claim that the film maligns the name of the city. Unless the name of the city is removed, screenings would be blocked and the matter would be taken to High Court. In addition to this, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, an MP from Kota, had said, "It is unacceptable to malign a city's name through cinema. The fictional story clearly mentioning the city's name is not justified." The writer-director of the film, Gopi Puthran had also issued a clarification over the controversy stating that the events and incidents that take place in the film had no connection with the selection of Kota as the setting and that there had been no intention to tarnish the reputation of the city. 

Read | Mardaani 2: Legal notice sent to makers & CBFC over the use of city name Kota in the film

"Mardaani 2" is a sequel to Rani Mukerji's critically acclaimed 2014 hit Mardaani, directed by Pradeep Sarkar. Rani is reprising her role as the cop Shivani Shivaji Roy in the new film, directed by Gopi Puthran. Produced by Aditya Chopra, the film will hit the theatres this Friday on December 13.

Read | 'Mardaani' about real female cops, not larger-than-life heroes, says Rani Mukerji

Also read | Mardaani vs Mardaani 2: How are both the Rani Mukerji films different?