Taapsee Pannu returns to action with 'Gandhari'
Taapsee Pannu is set to headline the upcoming action thriller Gandhari, marking her return to the genre after films like Baby and Naam Shabana. Directed by Devashish Makhija and written and produced by Kanika Dhillon, the film follows a mother driven by fierce determination to protect her child. Pannu plays the character Bani in the movie, which is scheduled for release on Netflix on September 3.
Speaking at the Jagran Film Festival in New Delhi, Pannu said audiences had been urging her for years to return to action, but she had deliberately stayed away due to the physical demands of the genre. “Since Baby and Naam Shabana, people have been after me to do action but I've been avoiding it because it takes a lot of physical effort for me to do action,” she told PTI. “First of all, I don't enjoy hitting people physically. Even though my image says otherwise. I generally don't like hitting people. I'm a non-violent person that way."
Pannu, who is 39, also explained that her films typically do not have the budget for advanced techniques like face replacement or green-screen action, which means she performs her own stunts. “My films generally don't have the budget to have face replacement or the easy green-screen action. I have to do everything myself. So it can become physically very taxing,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Pannu said she was drawn to Gandhari because it offered her a chance to elevate her action work beyond what she had done before. “I wanted to do action that takes it a level above what I've done before. Only then is it worth attempting action again,” she explained. “So I've tried doing that. I hope the audience is satisfied and likes this as much or more than what they've seen me doing before."
Pannu also spoke about the emotional core of the film, noting that the character's motivation sets it apart from her earlier action roles. “It's a different kind of rage, or a different kind of emotion that you have to put in use when you're fighting for your daughter versus when you're probably fighting for a job or a mission,” she said. “That's a different flavor altogether. So this was way more emotional for me to attempt in action."
The actor also discussed her creative partnership with writer-producer Kanika Dhillon, with whom she has previously collaborated on films such as Manmarziyaan, Haseen Dillruba, Rashmi Rocket, and Dobaaraa. Pannu described their process as collaborative, with Dhillon bringing a basic storyline and screenplay, and Pannu providing feedback before the full script is written. “She comes to me with a script that's basically just a storyline and screenplay,” Pannu said. “I tell her what I liked and not liked...and then she writes the whole script keeping that in mind and keeping me in mind."
Gandhari is set to premiere on Netflix on September 3.