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'Gandhari' Review, Taapsee Pannu Is Fierce In Action, But Too Many Twists Dilute The Thrill
'Gandhari' is a new film that arrived on Netflix on September 3, 2026. The movie features Taapsee Pannu, Ishwak Singh, and many others playing important roles.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleGandhari is a revenge thriller that turns a holiday into horror when 'Bani' loses her daughter 'Mishty' at Joypurra station. An unexpected incident makes 'Bani' lose her eyesight and she is forced to hunt through a town of impersonators and a trafficking gang called Black Hole.
Taapsee Pannu leads with fierce action while Ishwak Singh and a strong supporting cast hold the grim world together, even as too many twists weaken the story and make the search feel both personal and urgent.
Blindfolded hunt in a town of masks
Gandhari opens at Joypurra railway station, where 'Bani' and 'Gokul' lose their five-year-old daughter 'Mishty' to a sari-clad stranger. The abduction happens during a crowded moment and changes a holiday into a nightmare. While chasing the kidnapper, 'Bani' suffers an injury from an iron rod, which causes internal bleeding in her eyes and leaves her temporarily blind. This injury gives the title its meaning. In the Mahabharata, Gandhari chose darkness to share the life of her blind husband, Dhritarashtra.
Here, 'Bani' does not choose darkness. Darkness is forced on her. Yet she turns it into strength. She decides to stay in Joypurra so that she can move through its lanes and find her daughter. Joypurra is shown as a fictional town in West Bengal where everyone wears a mask.
The town is full of impersonators, artists of disguise, who worship Maa Chaumukhi. The town also hides a child trafficking network called Black Hole. As 'Bani' tries to trace her child, she meets several people. 'Uma Didi' is her neighbour who works as a water filter agent. 'Jhunu Amba' is a motherly figure who runs a small food stall and becomes a guide. 'Churni Didi' runs a shelter where information about missing children arrives. All of them appear kind at first. Later, each of them reveals a different face.
The plot uses the idea that in Joypurra everyone is an impersonator. The police show little interest in finding the child. An Anti-Human Trafficking Unit officer arrives, but his investigation remains slow.
Meanwhile, 'Gokul' starts his own search with the help of old maps and secret tunnels that point to British-era routes used by traffickers. The film links the festival of Chaumukhi to ‘Bani’s’ mission and shows her training her other senses to fight. Her training includes martial arts practice with a childhood mentor, and it allows her to sense her surroundings and attack even without sight.
Performances and weakness in craft
Taapsee Pannu carries the film as 'Bani'. She plays a grieving mother and also an action lead who lands punches in hand-to-hand fights. Her action work looks improved, and her scenes of physical pain feel convincing. The emotional scenes of loss work in parts, but the writing gives her too many twists to handle.
Ishwak Singh as 'Gokul' plays a helpless father and husband with restraint. His performance remains steady till the script turns his character into a tool for sudden reveals. Chhaya Kadam as 'Uma Didi' and Mita Vashisht as 'Jhunu Amba' also leave an impression. Swastika Mukherjee and Prashant Narayanan add a lot to the town’s atmosphere, but their characters remain underwritten. Jatin Sarna as the officer from the trafficking unit has little to do.
Direction by Devashish Makhija creates a grim mood and uses crowded lanes and dim lights well. The train station abduction is staged with urgency. However, the screenplay by Kanika Dhillon overloads the story with too many secrets and betrayals. Every person becomes a suspect, and every kindness turns into a twist. This makes the mystery feel manufactured, and the revelations feel flat.
The timeline jumps forward by a month without a clear reason, and the training montage is shown in flashback, which confuses the flow. The music shifts from quiet tension to a loud anthem without a smooth change. The town accent mix and the lazy police behaviour feel synthetic. The core subject of child trafficking is serious, but the film treats it with many contrivances.
Overall, Gandhari works in moments as a mother-revenge thriller led by a strong solo act. As a full story, it remains uneven and heavy with twists that reduce impact.
Have you watched Gandhari on Netflix? Let us know.
PC: Netflix India/YouTube
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