Who Is The Real Villain In 'Mardaani 3'? Here's A Look At The Silent Antagonist Hiding Behind

Mardaani 3 just released in theatres on January 30, 2026 and has created a frenzy among the audience. With Rani Mukerji back in action as 'Shivani Shivaji Roy', the fans have started gushing over her heroism and the shift in villain/s.

Mardaani 3 is the third iteration of the Mardaani universe by YRF Productions. The first two parts of the movie were widely acclaimed and much loved by the audience. The stark storylines, the fierce antagonists, and one heroic female cop going against everything and everyone to catch the villain are just mind-blowing. 

Plot line of Mardaani 3

As seen in the first two parts of the franchise, Mardaani deals with societal issues that are not normally talked about. Right from the first release, Mardaani, Rani portrayed herself as the lady killer cop who fights for justice and deals with the bumps that come along with being a female police officer with senior authority.

The third instalment of the franchise once again has ignited questions and started debates on topics we as a society don’t always deal with. Mardaani 3 deals with the trafficking of pre-pubertal-aged girls for a life-threatening purpose. What begins as an investigation for finding the missing daughter of a bureaucrat soon becomes a reality far more vile than anyone thought.

Rani stands against a cruel, merciless, equally strong and highly connected adversary 'Amma' portrayed by Mallika Prasad. 'Amma' is the kingpin behind the trafficking ring who finds and abducts girls who have not hit puberty yet. What leads Rani to the ring is the abduction of the daughter of a bureaucrate until then, all the 93 girls who had mysteriously disappeared remained missing, with no investigation done to look for them.

Is 'Amma' the true villain in Mardaani 3?

The filmmakers might have given us 'Amma' as the obvious villain on the poster and in name, but it is actually 'Ramanujan' portrayed by Prajesh Kashyap, who is the ruthless killer and the brains behind Amma’s operation. While the first two renditions of the franchise had only one villain for 'Shivani' to deal with, the third has two of them. 

From the beginning of the movie, we see 'Amma' as the strong, undeniable force as the villain whose presence dominated the screen. Gradually, as the movie unfolds, another figure emerges who is supposedly someone more vile, cruel, agonising than 'Amma'. The shift in the perspective of the audience from 'Amma' to 'Ramanujan' as the villain is just the cherry on top; it makes the audience wonder if what they had been watching until now was all a web of lies carefully spun together. 

Who is 'Ramanujan', the supposed second villain in Mardaani 3?

The balance of power shifts, the stakes rise, and the conflict becomes more unsettling and layered as the story moves forward. When Prajesh is introduced in the film, his calm yet strong demeanour makes him stand out. Instead of corny villainy dialogues or elaborate entries and fight sequences, he is this silent killer who establishes himself as the calm before the storm.

Prajesh has a background in theatrics, which gives him good control over restrained acting, patience and most importantly, an understanding of what subtle, long, authoritative pauses, slow-paced acting can do to a role. His character 'Ramanujan' has returned from the US and is experimenting with a vaccine. Unfortunately, his test subjects are underprivileged children with no one before or after them. Every subject of his testing responds differently; some die during the process due to testing positive for stage 4 cancer, while some show no signs of anything gone wrong. With 'Amma’s' help, 'Ramanujan' uses those kidnapped children as guinea pigs. In one scene, he tells an international delegation that dogs are treated better globally than the poor in India. Their lives are ‘cheap’. 

What makes Mardaani 3 different from the first two parts of the franchise?

The sheer discomfort, raw reality, and no distorted flowery versions of the kind of suffering those girls went through make the Mardaani franchise a cinematic masterpiece. It does not let its audience down easily; it makes them sit and wonder about where they are heading as a society, and if the lives of the marginalised communities in India are really that cheap and worthless. The slow but impactful shift in its storyline changes the mood, deepens the conflict and leaves the audience shocked, curious and surprised with what they just saw.

The film may not bring anything drastically new to the franchise, but it reminds viewers why the series still holds relevance. Much of this impact comes from Rani Mukerji and her commanding presence as 'Shivani Shivaji Roy'. She remains the heart of the story, delivering a performance that cuts through distractions and keeps the focus where it belongs.

What stands out is how the film handles its theme. Instead of turning crimes against women and children into a dramatic spectacle, it presents them as a harsh and ongoing reality that demands attention and accountability. This chapter works less as a shocking twist and more as a continuation of a larger fight.

Watch Mardaani 3 in your nearest theatres now!

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