It's been six years since Rani Mukerji starrer Mardaani released. The film was penned by Gopi Puthran who went on to direct Mardaani 2 which released in 2019. Now, during a recent interaction, the filmmaker spoke at length about how he is the only one to have two female cop-based dramas in his kitty. He also shared his thought on how the franchise resonated with the audience so much.

Gopi stated, "The reason why (that's my speculation) Mardaani as a franchise resonated so much with the audience is that: A - There are so much void and a dearth of stories of women, which are sincerely told while tapping onto the correct insights of the problems and the journey of women. So, somewhere I think, Mardaani as a universe is tapping into the core of being a woman, especially in a patriarchal society. The themes that we have been dealing with in part 1 and 2, the struggle of maintaining one’s own identity in a world where you are constantly asked to compromise, that's something which we approached with so much sincerity."

The filmmaker further shared, "I think this has somewhere put the point across to people and has resonated with the audiences. I think the sincerity of our themes and dealing with the issues that women face has clicked with the audiences and I hope we continue to do justice in the way we approach the themes in the subsequent parts that we'll hopefully be doing."

Talking about Rani's role as fearless Shivani Shivaji Roy, Gopi shared, "Rani has actually given life and her soul to this character, Shivani Shivaji Roy. The way instinctively she added so much of depth, so much of gravitas to this character, is so satisfying, especially for a writer when you see that a star and an actor puts in so much of effort and instinct. She has made Shivani Shivaji Roy come alive."

He also said, "She has been brilliant in action sequences. Right from Mardaani to Mardaani 2, Rani is a complete natural when it comes to action sequences. It was like she was meant to do this part. That is why it is a satisfying watch. She can bring vulnerability and she can bring the toughness both of the characters at the same time. Thus, Shivani became as unique a character as you would have ever seen on Indian Cinema. That is entirely Rani, her capabilities, her genius."