EXCLUSIVE: Why Kanika Dhillon keeps breaking genre rules: “It really excites me to break the mould”

Kanika Dhillon has never appeared particularly interested in telling stories by the rulebook. From genre-bending narratives to morally complicated characters, the writer-producer has consistently gravitated towards stories that refuse to sit comfortably inside familiar boxes. The success of Gandhari, she says, has only strengthened that instinct. “Usually, all my stories never conform to a certain template. Either they are a genre bender, or they are always pushing the boundaries of black and white and grey zones and across the spectrum,” Dhillon tells Bollywood Hungama exclusively.

For Dhillon, experimentation is not simply about making a story unusual for the sake of it. It is about finding a fresh grammar within a familiar genre. “So that is why I need to push the genre, twist the genre, bend the genre, merge two genres, unpredictable characters, also watering on experimental, bringing around cliches which are used in a surprising manner,” she explains.

Her creative philosophy can also make her films polarising, something she openly acknowledges. But that possibility does not appear to deter her. “As a maker, it really excites me to sort of break the mould and try and push myself to see what new and what different can I do in a certain genre, different in a template,” she says.

The response to Gandhari has now given that philosophy another significant validation. Dhillon says the film’s success and the audience mandate have encouraged her to take even greater creative risks. “Yes, definitely the resounding success of Gandhari and the audience mandate has encouraged me and humbled me to, you know, take more chances and more risks and continue to tell very unconventional, very rooted stories that speak to an audience,” she says.

For Dhillon, the objective remains audience-first storytelling without necessarily giving audiences what they expect. And if Gandhari is any indication, she appears keen to continue exploring the space where familiar emotions meet unfamiliar storytelling.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Kanika Dhillon reveals why Gandhari connected across 58 countries: “The mother’s bond is very, very universal”

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