‘Proud to have a super-hit female cop franchise’

Writer and director Gopi Puthran has had a fantastic journey in the film industry. He stepped into YRF as the writer of Lafangey Parindey, then became writer and assistant director of Mardaani and graduated to direct Mardaani 2. Gopi has been working closely with Aditya Chopra for a decade and is proud to be the only filmmaker with a super-hit female cop franchise.

Gopi says, “I think the reason why Mardaani as a franchise resonated so much with the audience is that there’s a dearth of stories about women, sincerely told, with accurate insights into their problems. In part 1 and 2 we have sincerely portrayed the struggle of maintaining one’s identity in a world where you are constantly asked to compromise.”

On completing

10 years at YRF,

Gopi says, “It’s truly karmic, the connection that I have with YRF and particularly with Aditya Chopra. The openness and nurturing I experienced made me what wanted to be.”

Gopi shares an incredible relationship with Rani, and has worked magic with her on celluloid through the Mardaani franchise.

“Rani has actually given life and soul to this character, Shivani Shivaji Roy. She instinctively added so much depth, so much gravitas to the character. It is so satisfying, especially for a writer, to see an actor put in so much effort. She has made Shivani

I Shivaji Roy come alive,” he says.

Thanking Pradeep Sarkar for making him a part of the process of making Lafangey Parindey, Gopi says, “I always wanted to direct. I knew I could write and direct at the same time. I was just waiting for the correct project to come along.”

Explaining how he came to direct Mardaani 2, he said, “Adi suggested that I direct the sequel to Mardaani because I knew the world. I wholeheartedly agreed and that’s how it fell into place.”

— Sanskriti Media