Taapsee Pannu’s 'Gandhari' Faces Copyright Allegations Before September 3 Release
Writer alleges similarities; makers maintain Gandhari is an original work.
Taapsee Pannu’s upcoming Netflix film Gandhari has become the subject of copyright allegations ahead of its scheduled release on September 3. Writer Kalyan Bandi has alleged that the film shares similarities with a story he pitched in 2019 and has claimed that he sent a legal notice to Netflix India content head Monika Shergill over the matter.
Bandi told Mid-Day that he initially contacted Shergill through LinkedIn while she was working with another streaming platform. According to the writer, Shergill asked him to send his story to her email address, which he did. He said he was later informed that the project would not work for the platform and that he could pitch it elsewhere.
The writer further alleged that he continued pitching Gandhari to people in the industry and eventually found a studio willing to develop the project as a theatrical film in late 2023. He said he was surprised when Netflix India announced its own Gandhari in September 2024, with Kanika Dhillon credited as the writer. Bandi pointed to similarities involving a mother and the disappearance of young girls.
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Bandi said he contacted Shergill again after the title announcement but did not receive a response. He added that his producers later withdrew from the project in December 2024. According to his account, the Screenwriters Association advised him that he could pursue legal action, following which he sent a legal notice alleging copyright infringement.
Kanika Dhillon’s production banner, Kathha Pictures, has strongly rejected the allegations. In an official statement, the production house described Gandhari as an original work written and produced by Dhillon and developed independently by Kathha Pictures. The makers maintained that both the story and screenplay are Dhillon’s own work and denied that the film copied another person’s concept or title.
The production house also urged media organisations and audiences not to present the allegations as established facts. Gandhari, starring Taapsee Pannu, is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on September 3. The copyright dispute has emerged shortly before the film’s release, with the two sides maintaining opposing positions over the origin and development of the story.
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