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Hindi film actor Taapsee Pannu's upcoming Netflix title Gandhari has run into trouble, as a writer has made copyright allegations. A writer, Kalyan Bandi, has reportedly alleged that the film's storyline is similar to a concept he had written in 2019. Written and produced by Kanika Dhillon, the upcoming film will be out on Netflix in September.
Kalyan Bandi, an IIT Madras alumnus who works as an Inspector with Central GST and Customs, in an interview with India Today, claimed that he had written and registered a story under the title of Gandhari in 2019. Bandi's story was reportedly built around a mother who takes on the role of a protective goddess when she finds herself in the middle of a child-trafficking racket.
According to the publication, he had pitched the story to Monika Shergill in 2019, when she was with Voot and before she joined Netflix, where she is now a Vice President. He has since raised questions about the film’s origins, claiming that he sent a legal notice in September 2025 seeking financial compensation and credit. A copy of the notice is reportedly in India Today’s possession.
The publication further expanded on Bandi's claims of approaching Shergill on LinkedIn in 2019, where he shared his eight-page story and two-page synopsis with her the following month. "While the material was acknowledged, in a few weeks' time, he was informed that the story did not fit the company’s commissioning slate," the report added.
Kanika Dhillon’s production house Kathha Pictures, on the other hand, has rejected Bandi’s allegations.
“Our attention has been drawn to allegations circulating on social media and in certain publications to the effect that our forthcoming film Gandhari copies another person’s concept and uses that person’s title. These allegations are false, and we deny them unequivocally. 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. We request the media, digital platforms and members of the public to treat these allegations as what they are, namely unverified and false, and to refrain from publishing, circulating or repeating them as established fact," their statement read.
The upcoming film, written by Dhillon and directed by Devashish Makhija, will be available for streaming from September 3.