Bollywood Hungama

EXCLUSIVE: Kanika Dhillon reveals why she named Taapsee Pannu starrer Gandhari; says, I wanted to reimagine Gandhari and give her more agency

Kanika Dhillon has revealed the thought behind naming her film Gandhari, starring Taapsee Pannu. In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, the writer explained how the Mahabharata character became the inspiration for the film and why she wanted to reinterpret Gandhari beyond the way she has traditionally been portrayed in the epic. According to Kanika, Gandhari has often been seen as a character who remains on the sidelines of the larger events of the Mahabharata. For her upcoming film, however, the writer wanted to bring the character to the forefront and explore what would happen if she actively entered a battlefield of her own in pursuit of justice for her child. See my whole idea of merging this mother's quest with Gandhari was to reimagine Gandhari in this scenario because usually she has always been on the sidelines and of the periphery when we see her in the whole context of Mahabharata, she told Bollywood Hungama. Kanika Dhillon further explained that Gandharis iconic blindfold, traditionally associated with her decision to blindfold herself after marrying Dhritarashtra, became an important element of her reinterpretation. She wanted to explore the symbolism of the blindfold beyond her relationship with her husband. She went on to continue, Because she's blindfolded because for her love for her husband - her world begins and ends there. So, I wanted to expand that. She wanted to follow the path of dharma, did not want the fights to happen. But they say that putra moh mein (for the love of her children) she could not take the right decision or do the right thing. In the film, the idea of Gandhari entering the battlefield takes on a different meaning. Kanika wanted to imagine the character using her perceived limitation as a source of strength while fighting to find justice for her daughter. But in this story setting, I wanted to push that and I wanted to see what happens when Gandhari will enter the battlefield and play a very crucial role with her blindfold and fight this war for justice for finding her daughter, she added. Elaborating on the idea exclusively, Kanika said that the film allows her to move the character away from the periphery and give her a stronger voice and greater agency. The blindfold, she explained, is not merely a symbol of Gandharis devotion to her husband but becomes something that can be weaponised in her fight. Dhillon shared, So, the whole idea was to reimagine a character, which looked like is relegated to the periphery and is sometimes also judged harshly, in a different Kurukshetra, in a different battle and give her more agency, give her more voice, give her more strength. How the blindfold is a symbolism of not only for a husband but far beyond right and how she will even weaponize that to get justice for her child. Through Gandhari, Kanika Dhillon thus draws a parallel between the mythological characters complicated journey and a contemporary mothers fight for justice. Rather than presenting a direct retelling of the Mahabharata, the film uses Gandhari as a thematic reference point to explore motherhood, justice, strength and agency in a new setting. Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Kanika Dhillon breaks silence on Gandhari plagiarism row, says This trend is very alarming; reveals she has stopped taking pitches