Kanika Dhillon is taking the timeless idea of a mother's love and placing it in a far more dangerous modern-day battlefield with Gandhari. The writer and producer recently opened up about the inspiration behind the upcoming Netflix action thriller, explaining how the iconic Mahabharata character became the starting point for a story about just how far a mother can go to save her child.
Speaking about the film, Kanika said, "The story of Gandhari is about a mother—specifically, the lengths a mother will go to in order to save her child. Gandhari is a character we know from the Mahabharata. When I was writing this, I wanted to reimagine her story in a contemporary context: if a mother were to step onto a modern-day battlefield—a Kurukshetra of sorts—to save her child, just how far would she go? So, Gandhari is about both the character and the title role."
That idea forms the emotional core of the film, which stars Taapsee Pannu in the lead role. Rather than simply adapting the mythological character, Gandhari appears to take the essence of her story and place it inside a contemporary world of violence, grief and survival. The question at the heart of the film is a simple but powerful one: what happens when a mother is pushed beyond every possible limit?
Directed by Devashish Makhija and written and produced by Kanika Dhillon, Gandhari is set in the fictional town of Joypurra. But this is no ordinary town. Filled with behrupiyas, old legends and hidden dangers, Joypurra becomes the backdrop for a story that blends action, mystery and revenge with a deeply emotional family narrative.
The story begins with a devastating nightmare for any parent. A mother loses her young daughter at a busy railway station, and the tragedy is followed by a violent attack that temporarily leaves her unable to see. Broken by fear and grief, she is forced to find strength in circumstances where simply surviving is no longer enough.
Her search eventually leads her towards a hidden network of child traffickers operating within Joypurra. As she discovers more about the people responsible and the children caught in the network, her grief begins to transform into something far more powerful. She is no longer simply searching for her daughter; she becomes determined to bring the missing children home.
This is where Kanika's modern-day Kurukshetra idea becomes particularly significant. In the Mahabharata, Gandhari is one of the most recognisable figures associated with motherhood, sacrifice and a complicated relationship with power and destiny. The film takes that emotional symbolism and asks what such a mother might look like in today's world, when the battlefield is not filled with warriors but with criminals, traffickers, fear and injustice.
Taapsee Pannu's character therefore appears to be much more than a conventional action heroine. Her strength comes from desperation and love rather than a desire for glory. Every confrontation is connected to the central mission of finding her daughter, giving the action an emotional reason to exist.
The film also features Ishwak Singh, Chhaya Kadam and Swastika Mukherjee in important roles. Ishwak has previously described his character as a loving father and family man who deeply cares about his daughter and is willing to go to any lengths to protect his family, adding another emotional dimension to the story.
With Gandhari, Kanika Dhillon appears to be combining mythology with a very contemporary concern. The film asks audiences to look at an ancient idea through a modern lens: the extraordinary power of a parent fighting for a child in a world where the rules have already broken down.
Gandhari will premiere exclusively on Netflix on September 3, 2026. With Taapsee Pannu leading a story inspired by one of India's most powerful mythological figures, Devashish Makhija directing and Kanika Dhillon putting her own contemporary spin on the concept, this modern-day Kurukshetra promises to be as emotional as it is explosive.