Kanika Dhillon on doing an action film with Taapsee Pannu in Gandhari, how it differs from other mother-child films

Hindustan Times

22-04-2025

She began her film journey as a screenwriter and has now turned producer. Ask Kanika Dhillon if much has changed, and she responds that even now, all she wants to do is tell stories. As she gets ready to launch her next project, Gandhari (yet again with her frequent collaborator Taapsee Pannu), she speaks with HT about the genesis of the film and why partnering with Netflix time and again makes sense for her.
Gandhari is a revenge drama directed by Devashish Makhija and starring Taapsee in the lead role. Talking about how the film came into being, Kanika tells us, "This is about a different sort of fear, or rather fierceness as a human being. To what extent can a mother go to protect her child? That idea is where Gandhari started. Action is something that I think is a very exciting genre. I've not done something like that before. So all these things came together."
Kanika has worked with Taapsee in the two Haseen Dilruba films as well as Manmarziyaan, in which she was the screenwriter. Talking about bringing her on board, she says, "She was also in the right frame of mind that she wanted to do an action film. So, it just kind of happened at the right time. Also, as people and as artist, I think we were ready for it to kind of delve into something as emotional and as driven as the story we have here."
Time and again, it has been argued that the audiences won't accept women-led action or mass films. But Kanika disagrees. "I don't think the onus is on the audience to accept or not to accept. I think they are very open to connecting to a well-told story. So, I think it is on us to tell it how we want to. I think it's a more internal conflict of a creator rather than an audience preference. I think a well-told story always finds an audience," she says.
Before Gandhari, there had been other films based on mothers fighting for their children. But Kanika is not wary of any comparisons. Every child and mother's bond is as old as nature and earth, and as unique, because you can't replace your own mother," she says, adding, "So in the same way, this emotion is so universal, while being unique. Each mother is a world in her own self, and the bond that that mother shares with her child is unmatchable and is so unique that you will not find it replicated in another mother-child bond."
She adds that Gandhari's setting also differentiates it from other similar films. Kanika explains, "Gandhari is very rooted in its cultural bearing. That differentiates it. So, I don't think there are going to be comparisons or overlaps because it has a unique story, standing on its feet with its fierce emotions."
She talks about expanding the horizons, and naturally, the conversation moves to taking such Indian stories global via streaming. Talking about partnering with Netflix again (for Gandhari after Haseen Dilruba), she says, "It has a global audience, and as creators, what we're looking for a medium to reach the biggest audience that there is out there. With the advent of streaming giants like Netflix, our stories can get to travel and reach those audiences. It can put us on the map there. We didn't have that access to a global audience earlier which we do have now and that's great."
Gandhari, backed by Kanika's Katha Pictures and directed by Devashish Makhija, is set to premiere on Netflix later this year.