Taapsee Pannu On Gandhari Action It Was Emotionally Driven I Had To Perform The Stunts Myself

Taapsee Pannu is no stranger to physically demanding roles, but Gandhari pushed her action game into a very different territory. The actress says the action in the upcoming Netflix thriller was not about looking like a perfectly trained fighter. Instead, every punch, chase and confrontation had to come from a much more raw place—the desperation of a mother determined to get her child back.

Talking about the preparation, Taapsee said, "Regarding action preparation, it’s mostly about keeping yourself physically fit enough to avoid injury. I’ve done action sequences before, so I’m somewhat aware of what’s involved, but this particular action was different for me because it was emotionally driven."

That distinction became central to how she approached the character. "This wasn't a mission-driven role; it was driven by emotion rather than calculated combat moves. I didn't behave like a trained martial artist; instead, I played an emotionally driven character who returned solely to retrieve her child—not to complete a specific mission," Taapsee explained.

And that makes Gandhari's action sequences particularly intriguing. Her character isn't walking into danger because she has been trained to fight criminals. She is walking into danger because her daughter is missing. Every confrontation therefore comes from an instinctive need to protect rather than a carefully planned combat strategy.

"She would simply eliminate anyone standing in her way by any means necessary. That’s what made the action sequences distinct," Taapsee said. The line captures the brutal simplicity of her character's motivation: there is no larger mission, no complicated agenda and no desire to become a hero. There is simply a mother trying to bring her child home.

Of course, making that intensity believable required serious physical preparation. Taapsee explained that she trained extensively to ensure her body could withstand the demanding shoot. "I prepared extensively to ensure I was physically resilient and wouldn't get injured easily; we couldn't afford an injury that would halt the shoot," she said.

The pressure was even greater because the action portions were filmed back-to-back within a tight schedule. According to Taapsee, the crew took extensive precautions to make sure she remained safe throughout the process. "Thankfully, the crew was excellent. We filmed these action sequences back-to-back within a very tight timeframe. Great care was taken to ensure I didn't get hurt," she recalled.

But there was another reason Taapsee had to be particularly careful: she was doing the stunts herself. The actress revealed that the production did not have the budget for elaborate face-replacement technology, meaning she could not simply hand over the more dangerous portions to a stunt double and digitally replace the face later.

"We didn't have the budget for fancy face-replacement technology, so I had to perform the stunts myself," Taapsee said with a touch of humour. It meant that avoiding injury was not simply about comfort—it was essential to keeping the production moving.

The action also had to work alongside another major physical challenge in the film. Taapsee's character experiences a sudden loss of vision, requiring the actress to understand how someone with visual impairment would move, use a cane and navigate their surroundings. The team consulted visually challenged individuals to bring greater authenticity to those portions.

That combination makes Gandhari's physical performance particularly demanding. Taapsee isn't just fighting while playing a mother consumed by grief; she is also portraying a woman whose physical relationship with the world changes dramatically. The action therefore becomes part of her emotional transformation.

Directed by Devashish Makhija and written and produced by Kanika Dhillon, Gandhari stars Taapsee alongside Ishwak Singh, Chhaya Kadam and Swastika Mukherjee. The story unfolds in the fictional town of Joypurra, where a mother's search for her missing daughter takes her into the terrifying world of child trafficking, hidden identities and old legends.

Taapsee's approach to the action suggests that audiences can expect something far removed from polished, superhero-style combat. Gandhari's violence is messy, desperate and driven by emotion—and that could make its action sequences hit much harder.

With the film premiering on Netflix on September 3, Taapsee's biggest battle may not simply be about defeating the people standing between her and her daughter. It may be about making audiences feel every ounce of desperation that drives her forward. And if her preparation is anything to go by, she has thrown herself into that battle completely.

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