Netflix’s New 116-Minute “Taken Meets Daredevil” Action Thriller Remains a Global Streaming Smash

Ever since Taken burst onto the scene in 2008 with Liam Neeson‘s Bryan Mills dishing out his own brand of vigilante justice to save his daughter, countless action thrillers have tried to replicate its winning formula to varying degrees of success. The latest is a Netflix Original that combines not only elements of Neeson’s classic, but also takes the blind rage of Daredevil to a whole new level. Now, three weeks after its release, the film is still a global smash on streaming.

Never Underestimate a Mother’s Love

Hitting Netflix on Sept. 3, 2026, Gandhari stars Taapsee Pannu as Bani, a mother whose life is shattered when her daughter is kidnapped after a brutal attack. Losing her eyesight during the ordeal, it would be easy for her to wait around for the authorities to find her daughter, but no, she makes it her mission to personally track down those responsible, turning Gandhari into a violent revenge thriller.

As her quest takes her into the world of organized crime and human trafficking, Bani must decide who to trust as she confronts dangerous enemies, buried secrets and her own painful past in a relentless fight to bring her child home. Think Taken meets Daredevil with a dash of Jennifer Garner’s Peppermint thrown in for good measure, simply because of the mom vigilante angle. That gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect from the Hindi-language action thriller, which, unfortunately, hasn’t won over critics in the time since its premiere.

Scoring just 26% on Rotten Tomatoes, Gandhari has been called everything from “incoherent” to “terrible.” While many critics agree that the premise is interesting and Pannus return to the action genre is worth the price of admission, they felt that the overall execution fell flat.

That being said, there are some who enjoyed Gandhari even with its shortcomings. Simran Singh from DNA India writes, “Despite the flaws, Gandhari works because of Taapsee Pannu’s powerful performance, emotionally charged moments, and the impressive take on a mother slaying evil for her daughter.” Tanisha Bhattacharya from NDTV was another critic who saw the good in the film, adding: “It reflects a truth about society that continues to prevail, and Gandhari makes for an arresting showcase for the most part of it.”

‘Gandhari’ Is a Global Smash on Netflix

Since its arrival on Netflix, Gandhari has managed to make a big impact when it comes to the weekly streaming numbers, as last week was no exception. While it did get as high as #1 the week before, for the week of Sept. 14–20, the film dipped down to fourth place on the list of Global Top 10 Non-English Movies, earning 3 million views for a total of 5.8 million hours watched. Taking the top spot for the reporting period was the heartwarming romance, Vishwanath & Sons, which earned 5.8 million views. Check out the full Top 10 below.