# Taapsee Pannu returns to action with Netflix’s ‘Gandhari’ on Sept 3 2026-08-23T12:02:26+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Taapsee Pannu says she hopes her upcoming film 'Gandhari', streaming on Netflix from September 3, will finally satisfy fans who have wanted her return to the action genre since 'Baby' and 'Naam Shabana'. The 39-year-old actor told PTI that she deliberately avoided action roles for years because performing stunts requires heavy physical effort, and her films typically lack the budget for face-replacement or green-screen shortcuts. "I don't enjoy hitting people physically even though my image says otherwise," Pannu said at the Jagran Film Festival. She added she wanted the new action to be a level above her earlier work. 'Gandhari' is directed by Devashish Makhija and written-produced by Kanika Dhillon, Pannu's frequent collaborator across films like 'Manmarziyaan' and 'Haseen Dillruba'. Dhillon described it as "an intense and emotionally charged mother-led action thriller" and said Pannu has "put her absolute heart and soul into every frame". ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both HT and Bollywood Hungama report the same facts nearly verbatim, making this a straight wire-style story with no detectable slant from either outlet. HT leads with Taapsee Pannu's own explanation for avoiding action roles (physical toll, budget constraints) before turning to the film's plot, while Bollywood Hungama front-loads Kanika Dhillon's quote about a "mother-led action thriller". HT thus emphasizes Pannu's personal creative struggle, Bollywood Hungama plugs the producer's tagline. Neither outlet challenges or adds context. The uniform takeaway is that 'Gandhari' (Netflix, September 3) is a big bet on Taapsee Pannu's return to action, made viable by her long collaborative trust with Kanika Dhillon. Watch for the film's reception on its release date. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Leads with actor's physical-effort excuse, then film details - bollywoodhungama.com (neutral report) Leads with producer's quote, forefronts mother-led revenge genre This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-24T10:56:34+00:00. Tags: Devashish Makhija, Gandhari, Kanika Dhillon, Netflix, Taapsee Pannu Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/taapsee-pannu-returns-to-action-with-netflix-film-gandhari/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/taapsee-pannu-returns-to-action-with-netflix-film-gandhari/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/