Taapsee Pannu Reflects on Her Career as Gandhari Finds Global Success: “My Journey Has Been About Representing Women”

Taapsee Pannu’s career comes full circle with Gandhari

Taapsee Pannu’s latest success with Gandhari has brought renewed attention to a defining pattern in her career: her preference for characters that place women at the centre of the story.

The Netflix action-thriller, directed by Devashish Makhija and written and produced by Kanika Dhillon, was released on September 3, 2026. Its streaming performance has continued to grow after release, with the film recording 5.9 million views in its opening week and 9.6 million views in its second week, according to Netflix data reported by Bollywood Hungama. It subsequently reached No. 1 on Netflix’s global non-English film chart.

For Pannu, the response adds another chapter to a career built around characters that often challenge conventional ideas of how female protagonists are presented in Hindi cinema.

Why Gandhari fits into Taapsee’s larger career?

Pannu has frequently gravitated towards roles in which the female character is central to the narrative rather than simply supporting the male protagonist.

Her filmography includes Pink, Mulk, Thappad, Rashmi Rocket, Saand Ki Aankh, Badla and the Haseen Dillruba films, among several other projects.

In a previous interview with Hindustan Times, Pannu explained that she naturally looks at stories from a female perspective and that this influences the projects she chooses. She also described how a series of failures and difficult phases helped her understand the kind of work she wanted to pursue.

That approach has become particularly visible in Gandhari.

The film places Bani, played by Pannu, at the centre of a dangerous search after her young daughter is kidnapped. As the story progresses, Bani is forced to confront physical and psychological challenges while continuing her pursuit.

The global response surprised her

What appears to have surprised Pannu most about Gandhari is not simply its strong Indian viewership but its performance in markets far removed from the film's cultural setting.

In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, she said the team had expected the film to connect primarily with Indian audiences because of its distinctly Indian setting, characters and storyline. Instead, it found audiences across regions including Europe, Africa and South America.

Pannu also pointed to the film's performance in countries where a large Hindi-speaking audience could not necessarily be assumed to be responsible for its popularity.

That international response suggests that the film's central emotional themes—particularly motherhood, loss and the determination to protect one's child—were able to travel beyond the cultural framework in which the story was created.

From Pink to Gandhari: a recurring creative instinct

Looking at Pannu's career retrospectively, Gandhari does not appear to be an isolated choice.

With Pink, she became part of a film that placed questions of consent and social attitudes towards women at the centre of its courtroom drama. Later projects explored subjects including religious identity, domestic relationships, sport and ambition.

Her choices have not always followed the safest commercial route. Pannu has previously spoken about turning towards projects that allowed her to explore her capabilities rather than simply selecting roles because they appeared to be conventional career moves.

That philosophy helps explain why Gandhari sits naturally within her filmography despite being structurally different from several of her earlier films.

Kanika Dhillon and Taapsee Pannu continue their collaboration

Another important part of the Gandhari story is Pannu's creative partnership with writer-producer Kanika Dhillon.

The two have collaborated on several projects, including Manmarziyaan, Rashmi Rocket, Haseen Dillruba, Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba and Dunki, with Gandhari extending that association into a darker action-thriller space. Netflix's own coverage describes the film as their sixth collaboration.

Dhillon has previously explained that Gandhari was inspired by the Mahabharata figure of the same name, particularly the idea of reinterpreting Gandhari and giving the character greater agency.

The film, however, does not retell the Mahabharata. Instead, the name becomes a thematic reference for a contemporary story about a mother fighting to protect her child.

Success despite a divided critical response

There is also an interesting contrast between the film's streaming performance and its critical reception.

Several critics were less enthusiastic about the finished film. The Indian Express, for example, gave Gandhari 1.5/5 and criticised aspects of its writing and believability, while other reviews found stronger elements in Pannu's performance and the film's opening stretch.

At the same time, Netflix's viewing figures tell a different story.

After 5.9 million views in its first week, the film climbed to 9.6 million views in its second week. Bollywood Hungama reported that the second-week performance took Gandhari to the top of Netflix's global non-English film chart.

The contrasting responses underline the difference between critical reception and streaming consumption: a film can generate debate among critics while still attracting a substantial audience.

What Gandhari represents for Taapsee Pannu?

The importance of Gandhari for Pannu's career therefore extends beyond its Netflix numbers.

The film reinforces a creative identity that has developed over more than a decade: a willingness to take on women who occupy the centre of stories and whose conflicts are not necessarily designed around a conventional romantic narrative.

Her earlier work established that identity in different genres. Gandhari brings it into an action-thriller built around motherhood, vulnerability and revenge.

That continuity is particularly notable because Pannu has also spoken about the importance of avoiding repetition and refusing to become a "clone" of someone else while building her career.

The Celebrity Hour Take

Gandhari provides an interesting snapshot of where Taapsee Pannu stands as an actor in 2026.

The film's critical reception has been mixed, but its Netflix performance has been considerably stronger. More importantly, the project continues a creative thread that runs through much of Pannu's career: choosing stories where female characters are allowed to drive the narrative.

Her comments about representing the women she has grown up around can therefore be viewed alongside the larger pattern of her film choices. From courtroom drama and social issues to sports, relationships and now an action thriller, the genres have changed, but the focus on women navigating difficult circumstances has remained visible.

For Pannu, Gandhari is not simply another successful streaming title. It is another example of the kind of female-led storytelling that has become closely associated with her career.

Sources & Verification

This report was prepared using Bollywood Hungama's recent interviews and reports on Taapsee Pannu and Gandhari, Netflix's official promotional material and publicly reported Netflix viewing data. Background on Pannu's career choices was cross-checked with her earlier interviews, while critical reception was checked against multiple published reviews.

The article distinguishes Pannu's own comments from independent analysis and from critics' assessments of the film.