Exclusive | Taapsee Pannu to play a mother out for revenge in Kanika Dhillon’s emotional actioner Gandhari: ‘Got done with spy films when…’

Anurag Kashyap’s 2018 drama Manmarziyaan was the beginning of Kanika and Taapsee’s collaboration, and the duo has since worked on films like Haseen Dillruba, Rashmi Rocket, Shah Rukh Khan starrer Dunki and their latest thriller Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba.

Taapsee said she had been fielding requests from the audience to star in an action film for years, especially after her turn as a spy in Naam Shabana and Baby. “At a time when spy films were not the trend, that’s when I did it and got done with it. So, now when this has suddenly come back in trend, I was offered a few films (in the genre) that I turned down because I felt I had done it before, and those were embraced very well by the audience.

“They accepted and loved me in that role. Then Kanika came up with the idea of doing this film called Gandhari. I am not a spy in this! I am a mother, who is going to fight it out for revenge,” the actor added.

Watch: Taapsee Pannu-Kanik Dhillon announce new film

Taapsee Pannu is set to headline Kanika Dhillon’s new film Gandhari. (PR Handout)

A self-confessed action film fan, screenwriter-producer Kanika Dhillon said it was during the filming of the 2021 romantic thriller Haseen Dillruba that Taapsee shared with her the desire to do a meaningful, story driven action film and Gandhari aligned perfectly with what the duo was craving to do.

“Gandhari is an emotional revenge drama of a mother is built as an action franchise. It is a beautiful, hard-hitting character in a story that really needs to be told. Taapsee is also very good with action. There are very few leading ladies who can do an action part convincingly today, and she is one of them. After Haseen Dillruba, this is a big leap. It is two ‘provocative’ women artistes coming together to make an action franchise. We just hope to get the same love we have gotten so far on all our films,” the acclaimed screenwriter added.

The Netflix film will be directed by filmmaker Devashish Makhija, known for helming Ajji and Manoj Bajpayee starrer Bhonsle. The film is set to go on floors soon and will be produced by Kanika Dhillon’s Katha Pictures.