Kanika Dhillon Explains Global Success of Gandhari Across 58 Countries

For writer-producer Kanika Dhillon, the international success of Gandhari—which stars Taapsee Pannu, reached audiences across 58 countries, and topped Netflix’s Non-English Movies chart—lies in an emotion that requires no translation.

Speaking exclusively about the film, Dhillon highlighted the universal core of a mother trying to save and recover her child. According to Dhillon, this emotional bond cuts across languages and barriers while allowing the story to maintain its Indian identity.

Rather than diluting local elements for international viewers, the film incorporates mythology, traditional storytelling, behrupiyas, and Chomukhi Devi. Dhillon noted that combining a universal emotional conflict with a distinctly Indian world allowed the story to travel successfully beyond the Indian continent.