Writer Kalyan Bandi claims Taapsee Pannu's upcoming Netflix film Gandhari plagiarizes his story, while producer Kanika Dhillon denies the allegations.
Kuwait City, Kuwait Aug 25, 2026 ALN: Taapsee Pannu's upcoming Netflix film Gandhari has landed in the middle of a plagiarism dispute just days before its release, after writer Kalyan Bandi alleged that the film's core premise closely mirrors a story he wrote and registered several years earlier. Producer Kanika Dhillon's Kathha Pictures has firmly denied the claim, insisting the film is entirely original.
Bandi, an IIT Madras alumnus who currently works as an Inspector with Central GST and Customs, says he wrote a story titled Gandhari back in 2019. According to him, the plot centered on a mother who transforms into a formidable force while searching for her kidnapped daughter, eventually uncovering a child-trafficking network, a premise he says closely resembles the upcoming film.
Speaking to India Today, Bandi said he first pitched the idea in 2019 to Monika Shergill, who was then with Voot and now serves as Vice President at Netflix. He said he reached out to her via LinkedIn and followed up by sending an eight-page story along with a two-page synopsis.
Bandi claims the material was acknowledged within a few weeks, but he was told the project didn't align with the company's commissioning plans at the time. He says he went on to register the story with the Screenwriters Association that same year and continued developing it independently.
According to Bandi, he later pitched the project to Baweja Studios in 2023, resulting in discussions that stretched on for five to six months. He also says he approached JioHotstar with the concept at one point.
When Gandhari was officially announced as a Netflix film in 2025, Bandi said the title immediately caught his attention. He told India Today that he initially held back from drawing conclusions, but grew increasingly concerned as he learned more about the project and identified what he believed were overlapping elements between the two stories.
He says he sent a legal notice in September 2025 seeking both compensation and creative credit. Bandi further claims that some production houses he had been in talks with pulled back after Netflix's announcement, something he says caused him real professional and financial setbacks.
Responding to Kathha Pictures' denial, Bandi didn't hold back: "Only I can connect the title to the concept because it was my creativity. How can it be credited to Kanika Dhillon?"
He said his lawyer has advised pursuing legal action, but he's wary of the cost and length of a court battle. His stance, in his own words, is notably not about money: "I don't even want money. Just say thank you and acknowledge that it was my idea." He added, "I'll be very happy if they can prove to me that this is not my story."
Kathha Pictures addressed the allegations in a statement issued Monday, unequivocally rejecting any suggestion that Gandhari draws from Bandi's work. The company said its attention had been drawn to allegations circulating on social media and in certain publications suggesting the film copies another person's concept and title, and stated plainly: "These allegations are false, and we deny them unequivocally.
The statement continued: Gandhari is an original work, written and produced by Ms. Kanika Dhillon and developed by Kathha Pictures. Its story and screenplay are Ms. Dhillon's own work. The production house also urged restraint from media and the public, asking them to treat the allegations as unverified and false rather than repeating them as established fact.
Directed by Devashish Makhija and written and produced by Dhillon, Gandhari stars Pannu in the lead role alongside Ishwak Singh, with the story set in the fictional town of Joypurra, following protagonist Bani's relentless pursuit of her kidnapped daughter through themes of love, resilience, courage, and sacrifice. The supporting cast includes Chhaya Kadam, Swastika Mukherjee, Mita Vashisht, and Jatin Sarna. This marks the sixth collaboration between Pannu and Dhillon, following projects including Manmarziyaan, Haseen Dillruba, Rashmi Rocket, Dunki, and Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba. Gandhari is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on September 3.
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