The upcoming Netflix film Gandhari, featuring actor Taapsee Pannu, is currently embroiled in a copyright controversy. Writer Kalyan Bandi claims that the storyline of the film closely resembles a concept he authored years prior. Bandi asserts that his narrative revolves around a mother who transforms into a fierce goddess while confronting a child-trafficking syndicate.

Bandi, an alumnus of IIT Madras and an Inspector with Central GST and Customs, reportedly registered his story under the same title, Gandhari, in 2019. He alleges that he had previously pitched this concept to Monika Shergill, a former executive at Voot, who is now Vice President at Netflix. Concerns regarding the film’s origin have prompted him to take legal steps, including a notice sent in September 2025, demanding credit and financial restitution.

Initially, Bandi reached out to Shergill via LinkedIn in 2019, providing her with an eight-page narrative and a two-page synopsis of Gandhari. Although his submission attracted acknowledgment, he was later informed that the storyline did not align with the company’s commissioning interests. Following this, he registered the material with the Screenwriters Association and continued developing the idea.

Announcements Lead to Allegations of Copying

In 2023, Bandi reportedly approached Baweja Studios to further discuss his screenplay. He claims that talks regarding his story continued for several months, and he also shared his pitch with JioHotstar. The formal announcement of Gandhari by Netflix in 2025 reportedly took him by surprise, leading to his scrutiny of the project’s similarities to his own work.

Bandi specifically highlights the film’s title as a significant factor in his allegations. He believes that the choice of “Gandhari” is intrinsically linked to his narrative and that it was unexpected to see it associated with another concept. He stated, “Only I can connect the title to the concept because it was my creativity. How can it be credited to Kanika Dhillon?”

According to Bandi, following the film’s announcement, discussions with multiple production houses ceased, causing him both professional and financial detriment. He conveyed that after submitting his legal notice and receiving no response, his attorney counselled him to pursue the matter legally. However, Bandi, as a government employee, cited financial constraints as a reason for not advancing with the case.

Kathha Pictures Responds to Allegations

In response to Bandi’s claims, Kanika Dhillon’s production company, Kathha Pictures, has unequivocally denied all allegations of plagiarism. In their statement, they affirmed that Gandhari is an original work, produced solely by Dhillon, and that all claims pointing to theft of ideas are unfounded.

The production house emphasised, “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.” They called for the media and public to consider the allegations as unverified and false, advocating against the circulation of such claims.

Attempts by India Today to gain a response from Netflix and Monika Shergill regarding Bandi’s allegations did not yield any feedback up until the publication of this report.

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