Kanika Dhillon on collaborating with Taapsee Pannu for Gandhari: ‘Our righteousness and rage have united us’

Taapsee Pannu and Kanika Dhillon

There is no formula to a successful movie. But looking at writer-producer Kanika Dhillon's filmography may make you think otherwise. With Do Patti (2024), she has delivered the most watched OTT film of the year, as per viewership data. In 2021, she achieved the feat with Haseen Dillruba. When we get on a call with her, that's what we begin with: Has she cracked a formula to success? "There is never a formula," she laughs. "No subject is niche; the tryst is to make it accessible to a larger audience. That's how even when I take a layered theme like domestic abuse, it has a large audience engagement. You have to determine early on who you want to reach out to. According to that, you determine the film's syntax."

Kriti Sanon and Shaheer Sheikh in Do Patti

Armed with these lessons, Dhillon has kicked off her next OTT film, Gandhari, helmed by Devashish Makhija of Joram (2023) fame. The two are as different as chalk and cheese. "It's proven that the DNA of the most able babies are the ones that come from different bloodlines. Devashish is indie, and I'm [mainstream]. I think Gandhari will be the best baby," says Dhillon. It's designed as a full-blown actioner led by Taapsee Pannu, who plays a mother out to rescue her abducted child. "I'm an action junkie. I watch two to three action films a week. What's a gamble is doing an action film with a female at the centre. It's not done often, but Gandhari will stand out because it's also a compelling story."

Devashish Makhija

This is her sixth outing with Pannu after Manmarziyaan (2018), Rashmi Rocket (2021), the Haseen Dillruba franchise, and Dunki (2023). Working with the actor, she says, is great for a simple reason. "She takes my mad ideas and runs wild with them. Our sense of righteousness and rage have brought Devashish, Taapsee and me together. The hyper-masculine stories have taken over. Gandhari is perhaps the antidote we need." Even as male-led actioners are dominating the scene today, Dhillon notes that the tide is slowly turning. "The focus in the past year has been on stories. Of course, there are challenges with female-led films. The ambition is not always supported by the finance it deserves. But if a story is made on the correct budget and is engaging, you will get recognition."