Mardaani 2 is a compelling watch that makes you uncomfortable time and again but stays with you for a long time. Written and directed by Gopi Puthran with Rani Mukerji in the lead role, the edge-of-the-seat thriller packs a punch and evokes the desired angst in you, as it highlights the gruesome crimes against women and also delves deeper into issues such as women safety, gender inequality and misogyny. Superintendent of police, Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji) is out to capture a criminal (Vishal Jethwa) who rapes young women in a fit of rage before cruelly murdering them. The trouble is, he is always one step ahead of the cops, playing a cat-and-mouse game on his own terms. Mardaani 2 is not the first film to bring heinous crimes under the spotlight but it manages to tap into social consciousness given its timing. As the nation seethes after the horrendous rape and murder of a doctor in Hyderabad and its aftermath, the film once again takes us back to the brutality of such crimes and how we need a firm solution. Though it’s not for the weak hearted, it’s definitely a story that needs to be told repeatedly till these crimes stop.