Taapsee Pannu and Kanika Dhillon redefine action in Netflix’s ‘Gandhari’

Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned in “Gandhari,” the upcoming Netflix thriller that promises to shatter the expectations of both the action genre and Indian mythology.

In an exclusive interview with Varietyactor Taapsee Pannu and writer-producer Kanika Dhillon dive into their latest collaboration, a project that reimagines the boundaries of motherly love through the lens of high-octane action.

The film, described by Dhillon as an ‘intense revenge thriller’, revolves around a mother’s quest to rescue her kidnapped child. “’Gandhari’ is the story of a mother whose child is torn from her, and the lengths she will go to get her daughter back,” Dhillon said. “It’s emotional, it’s powerful. It is a story of revenge and redemption.”

For Pannu, who has previously forayed into the spy-action genre with films like ‘Baby’ and ‘Naam Shabana’, ‘Gandhari’ represents a new challenge. “I have wanted to take action for a while,” Pannu said. “But what’s trending today is something I did nine years ago: being a spy. It’s not really trendy enough because I’ve already done it twice.”

The actor says “Gandhari” offers a different motivation for her character’s actions. “This becomes a whole different drama, along with action, if you don’t do it because you got a job or because this is your mission, but because it is something very personal,” Pannu said. “It’s very emotion-driven and not goal-oriented.”

Dhillon, who is both writing and producing the film, reveals that the concept for “Gandhari” came from her personal experience with motherhood. “The seeds of ‘Gandhari’ actually started when I had just had a baby,” she said. “Suddenly I felt that there is literally a before and after of existence, in the sense that the fear that came with becoming a mother was so intense.”

The film’s title refers to Gandhari, a character from the ancient Indian epic ‘Mahabharata’, who is known for voluntarily blindfolding herself for life after marrying a blind prince. Dhillon says the film goes beyond the well-known aspects of Gandhari’s story. “We are all aware of the broad story of Gandhari, that she decided that she would not look at the world or see the world because her husband cannot see. I wanted to interpret it a little differently for this one,” says Dhillon.

The film is directed by Devashish Makhija – whose credits include the hard-hitting ‘Joram’, ‘Ajji’ and ‘Bhonsle’ – a choice that excites both Pannu and Dhillon. “The tension this director creates is palpable,” Dhillon said. “It can shock you. It gets you moving at the same time. With this kind of story, with this emotional graph, we couldn’t have found a better director than Dev.”

“His excitement about the script is so infectious… and the kind of input he had, the kind of research or the special nuances he brought to the story, I’m just so happy that we have someone who is as excited as we are to make this to make a film,” Pannu said.

As for Pannu’s preparation for the physically demanding role, the actor reveals that she has been following a fitness regime for years in anticipation of such a project. “I’ve been following a fitness regimen for years, hoping that one script will come my way that doesn’t require me to suddenly, abruptly turn my world upside down,” she said.

“Gandhari” marks the sixth example of Pannu and Dhillon’s fruitful collaboration, which began with Anurag Kashyap’s Toronto-bending “Manmarziyaan” (2018); Netflix original film “Haseen Dillruba” (2021) and its sequel “Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba” (2024); ZEE5 Global film “Rashmi Rocket” (2021); and the Rajkumar Hirani-directed hit “Dunki” (2023), headlined by Shah Rukh Khan.

“The stakes are getting higher, from the type of stories to the characters and the scale of the film we are working on,” Pannu said.

The production of “Gandhari” is expected to begin in November.