Rani Mukerji once again steals the show with her measured and restrained act of her character Shivani. She doesn`t go over-the-top with theatrics but captures the nuances required to play a gritty top cop, dealing with heinous crimes, rape victims and a violent murderer. Writer-director Gopi Puthran gives a brutally chilling saga of a psycho killer on the loose. Throughout the film, the body count continues to mount in Rajasthan`s education hub Kota as the remorseless young killer Sunny challenges Shivani to stop him if she can. She does a fine balancing act between being powerful and vulnerable at the same time. The film`s antagonist Vishal Jethwa is a revelation and holds his own confidently against a powerhouse performer like Rani. He looks innocent, but delivers quite a chilling performance for a debutant. He gets the rustic Rajasthani accent right, just enough to add more menace. The film`s pace is relentless and adds to the thrill even as we see the villain constantly outsmarting the cops. The first and the second half are equally engaging. However, it`s the conviction in the performances and a gripping narrative that ensure there`s never a dull moment in Mardaani 2. Overall it is truly a Rani`s show all the way.