Mumbai, Sep 6 (PTI) With her latest film, “Gandhari”, writer-producer Kanika Dhillon says her intent was to reinvent the mythological character from the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, as someone who fights her own battle in the contemporary world.
Set against the backdrop of a fictitious town, Joypurra, the film follows the story of Bani, played by Taapsee Pannu, whose desperate search for her abducted daughter draws her into a far more dangerous reality than she could have imagined.
The film is directed by Devashish Makhija, best known for critically-acclaimed titles such as “Ajji”, “Bhonsle” and “Joram”, and penned by Dhillon.
“I didn’t want to retain the core of ‘Gandhari’ that we have been shown in the Mahabharata, that’s why I tried to reinvent
her in my own world, in my own Kurukshetra,” Dhillon, known for writing strong women-oriented films for Pannu such as “Rashmi Rocket”, “Haseen Dillruba”, and “Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba”, told PTI in an interview.
The screenwriter said she wanted to move beyond the familiar interpretation of Gandhari, whose identity in the Mahabharata has largely been associated with her devotion to her husband, Dhritarashtra.
“In Mahabharata, Gandhari was accused of not fulfilling her duty towards her children; her world was defined by her husband, she had blindfolded herself and never looked at the outside world.
“While she is often placed on a pedestal for the immense devotion and self-surrender she showed towards her husband. Today, I find that unacceptable and I don’t agree that a woman can be devoted to her husband completely,” she added.
The writer-producer, who is a mother to five-year-old son, said the genesis of the story, however, did not come from mythology but from her deeply personal emotion of motherhood.
She explained how becoming a mother made her aware of the fear and vulnerability associated with a child’s safety, an emotion that eventually became the starting point for her story.
“I felt that a mother possesses a divine power within her, a force that drives her to cross any boundary if her child is in danger. As an artist, I found this to be a powerful emotion; and it made me want to pour it on paper and craft a story around it,” Dhillon said, adding that it was later that the idea to give a twist to the character of Gandhari from Mahabharat came in.
Through her story, the 42-year-old writer she said wanted to give agency to Gandhari.
“I used to think, how much more she could do, but she didn’t do it, she didn’t get the chance. So, this time, in this story, Gandhari should get the chance, and she should take things into her own hands and fulfil her duty and fight her own battle,” she added.
“Gandhari” also gave Dhillon the opportunity to try her hands on action, a genre she has been drawn to but was looking to find the right elements before attempting it.
Describing the film as an emotional action thriller, the writer said Pannu’s character was partly inspired by her college experience of volunteering to help visually impaired people.
The experience, she said, made her realise how they can turn their disability into a source of strength.
“I watch good, bad, ugly, I watch every and any action film. Like, I’ve watched ‘John Wick’ movies. Action is very technical and requires a different skill set to be able to imagine it and then put it on paper. I enjoy visualising it a lot; my key moments must be defined.
“So, when I was ready with this story, then only I wanted to dive into it (action). I like thriller genre, and I usually do a genre bender, I do things that I enjoy and predictability bores me,” she added.
Dhillon confirmed that she plans to make her directorial debut soon but did not divulge details about the project, even as media reports claim that Saif Ali Khan and Kiara Advani are set to star in her supernatural thriller film.
“When I turn director, it would be solely to see that what I’ve written on paper and how I can interpret it, which can make it better than how it is on paper. So, that is my greed to turn director,” she said.
Actors Ishwak Singh, Chhaya Kadam, Swastika Mukherjee, Mita Vashisht and Jatin Sarna round out the cast of “Gandhari”.
The film, produced by Dhillon’s production company, Kathha Pictures, made its debut on Netflix on September 3. PTI KKP MG MG
