Alia Bhatt’s Jigra could get ‘whole different kind of reception’ if it was released on OTT, says Taapsee Pannu’s Gandhari director Devashish Makhija

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Following his success in indie filmmaking, Devashish Makhija is now venturing into mainstream cinema with Taapsee Pannu’s project, Gandhari. Not long ago, the production team shared on social media that filming has wrapped up. In a recent interview, the director expressed his thoughts, suggesting that Alia Bhatt’s film, Jigra, might have fared better if it had been released online instead.

Taapsee Pannu’s role as Gandhari marks Devashish Makhija’s first female-centric film since his 2017 production, Ajji. When prompted about revisiting this genre after eight years, the director expressed that female-focused films are not frequently produced in the current industry landscape.

It seems that women-led films are not being produced anymore, not even by well-known actresses like Alia Bhatt who had to take on the production role herself for her film to be made. Therefore, it’s quite remarkable that Taapsee Pannu is not only starring in a film but also having it released as a Netflix original. I can’t imagine many other female stars in Mumbai achieving this feat.

The filmmaker was subsequently questioned if releasing such movies would become an even more difficult task. To this, he offered Alia Bhatt’s film ‘Jigra’ as an illustration of why it may not have connected with the audience.

In my view, if “Jigra” had been released directly to streaming platforms, it might have garnered a very different response. Theaters can be harsh, and there’s still a slight, lingering mindset that sees a larger-than-life hero as a savior, which is somewhat patriarchal in nature. This was his additional comment.

He also pointed out that Kanika Dhillon and Taapsee Pannu have crafted narratives that could be somewhat called feminist in nature. However, when it comes to Jigra, he felt it depicted a robust female character rescuing men, as opposed to the traditional portrayal where men save women.

To wrap things up, he commented, ” Frankly, I’m unsure if this would resonate with a live theatre crowd. However, I strongly believe it’s likely to debut directly on streaming platforms.

The upcoming action-thriller, titled Gandhari, showcases Taapsee Pannu and Ishwak Singh as its main characters. As of now, a release date hasn’t been set, but it will make its debut on Netflix. Kanika Dhillon, who is famed for the Haseen Dillruba series, has penned and produced this film.

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2025-03-25 19:22