Last week, Bollywood actor Rani Mukerji returned to the silver screen as Shivani Shivaji Roy with Mardaani 3. This time, the character is in a race against time as she investigates the case of 93 young girls who have gone missing under mysterious circumstances in a span of three months. In the first week of the film’s release, a PTI report citing official Delhi Police data went viral overnight. This report claimed that 807 people went missing in Delhi in the first half of January this year, causing instant panic. Today morning, Delhi Police clarified that the sudden flood of posts about missing persons was ‘paid promotion’, turning all eyes on Mardaani 3. Well, Yash Raj Films has now issued a statement, putting an end to all speculation.
Today morning, Delhi Police tweeted: “After following a few leads, we discovered that the hype around the surge in missing girls in Delhi is being pushed through paid promotion. Creating panic for monetary gains won’t be tolerated, and we’ll take strict action against such individuals.” Issuing an official statement denying involvement, a YRF spokesperson said, “Yash Raj Films is a 50 year old company founded on the core principles of being highly ethical and transparent. We strongly deny the accusations floating on social media that Mardaani 3’s promotional campaign has deliberately sensationalised a sensitive issue like this and we have immense trust in our authorities that they will share all facts and truths in due course of time.”
In an earlier tweet, shared yesterday, Delhi Police had shared, “Recent public discourse has raised concerns about the welfare of children in Delhi. We appeal to the citizens not to fall prey to the rumours about the spurt in the cases of missing children. While denying such claims, we also warn rumour mongers of strict legal action for creating unnecessary panic and fear by misrepresenting data. The safety of every child is of paramount importance to Delhi Police. Delhi Police is committed to serve 24×7 and making all out efforts to trace all missing persons and reunite them with distraught family members, at the earliest.”
Meanwhile, Mardaani 3 has received rave reviews online from netizens and critics alike. At the box office, the film has entered the ₹25 crore club in a week of release.
