MARDAANI makes history – only female cop franchise to succeed in 113 years of Hindi cinema, lands unprecedented hattrick of hits :Bollywood Box Office

In the 113-year history of Hindi cinema, genres have evolved, stars have risen and fallen, and audience preferences have undergone seismic shifts. Yet one space has remained persistently resistant to sustained success: the female-led police procedural. Against this backdrop, the Mardaani franchise has achieved something no other series in Hindi cinema has managed – three successful theatrical films led by a solo female cop, headlined by Rani Mukerji.

With Mardaani 3 sustaining momentum at the box office and clocking a solid opening weekend of Rs. 17.25 crore (Friday Rs. 4 crore, Saturday Rs. 6 crore, Sunday Rs. 7.25 crore), the franchise has now delivered a clean hattrick of hits – an achievement without precedent in Hindi cinema.

Historically, female-led police films have faced multiple structural challenges in the Hindi theatrical market. Police procedurals, when stripped of exaggerated mass heroism, are often perceived as niche. Female-led action thrillers tend to be under-mounted or under-marketed, limiting their reach even before release. Most critically, authority-driven narratives in Hindi cinema have long been associated with male stars, making audience acceptance significantly harder to earn.

As a result, films featuring women in uniform have typically either pivoted to ensemble storytelling or failed to gain meaningful commercial traction. Sustained solo success in this genre has remained elusive until Mardaani.

The Mardaani films defied these odds not through scale or spectacle, but through consistency and credibility.

The first Mardaani, released 18 years into Rani Mukerji’s career, introduced Shivani Shivaji Roy as a grounded, no-frills police officer. Mounted on a mid-range budget and aimed squarely at an adult audience, the film succeeded quietly yet decisively, establishing trust in both the character and the concept. It proved that a female cop could anchor a serious theatrical thriller without dilution or gimmickry.

Mardaani 2, released 23 years after Mukerji’s debut, pushed the envelope further. Darker, more unsettling, and uncompromising in tone, the sequel tested audience appetite for an even grimmer narrative and passed. Its success confirmed that the franchise was not a one-off anomaly, but a sustainable theatrical property.

That trust has carried into Mardaani 3, released nearly 30 years into Mukerji’s career and notably in a post-pandemic environment where most female-led thrillers opt for direct-to-digital premieres. The film’s steady growth from Friday to Sunday indicates organic word of mouth rather than front-loaded curiosity, reaffirming theatrical interest in content-driven cinema.

What makes this achievement especially significant is longevity. Across nearly three decades in Hindi cinema (1996–2026), Rani Mukerji continues to deliver theatrical successes as a solo lead – a rarity across eras. Very few actresses globally, and arguably none in Hindi cinema, have sustained a solo-led franchise across such an extended span of time.

The Mardaani series has thrived across three vastly different industry phases – the pre-OTT era, the peak multiplex years, and the post-pandemic theatrical market. Each film has reinforced the same central idea: authority-driven female roles can be commercially viable when backed by credibility, restraint, and consistency.

With three successful theatrical films, Mardaani now stands as the only female cop franchise to work consistently at the box office in the history of Hindi cinema. It is a record unmatched by any heroine before and one that decisively reshapes long-held assumptions around gender, genre, and box-office viability.

In delivering this rare hattrick, Rani Mukerji has not only defied industry scepticism but carved out a legacy that may take years – if not decades – for Hindi cinema to replicate.

More Pages: Mardaani 3 Box Office Collection
, Mardaani 3 Movie Review