Cinema VinesSince its launch on Netflix on September 3, Taapsee Pannu’s film Gandhari has climbed to the top of the platform’s non‑English movies list, eclipsing titles such as Facing El Chapo and The Secret Woman. Despite critics offering a mix of negative and lukewarm reviews, the Hindi‑language thriller has attracted 9.6 million viewers and logged 18.7 million viewing hours, according to Netflix’s Tudum analytics. The movie has held the No. 1 spot in 58 countries for the past two weeks, making it the most‑watched non‑English film on the service.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Pannu celebrated the achievement by posting a screenshot of the Netflix chart, captioning it with the hashtag #Gandhari when numbers speak. She also responded to a viral post that claimed the film had been “trashed by everyone,” joking that “Not ‘everyone’ I guess. When you throw lemons, we make lemonade. Cheers!” The actress’s social media activity helped keep the conversation around the film alive amid the mixed critical reception.
Netflix’s Top 10 non‑English lineup currently lists Gandhari at the summit, followed by the Danish drama The Secret Woman. Other Indian entries include Suriya’s Vishwanath & Sons at No. 3, Ajay Devgn’s multi‑starrer Dhamaal 4, R. Madhavan’s GDN, and the Alia Bhatt‑Sharvari collaboration Alpha, which occupy the fifth, sixth, and ninth spots respectively.
Critics have been less kind. The Hindustan Times awarded the film 2.5 stars, noting that the plot “depends a little too heavily on convenience itself” and that the setting fails to deliver the mystery it promises. The review pointed out that the protagonist, Bani, quickly becomes familiar with the town’s people and secrets within a month, and that her husband conveniently finds a job, undermining the story’s tension.
Directed by Devashish Makhija and written by Kanika Dhillon, Gandhari follows a mother’s relentless quest to rescue her kidnapped daughter, weaving themes of revenge and redemption through a harrowing journey. Pannu leads a cast that includes Prashant Narayanan, Swastika Mukherjee, and others, bringing a blend of intensity and pathos to the screen.
