Netflix breaks silence on Gandhari plagiarism row, defends originality of film

At the trailer launch of Gandhari, Netflix and Kanika Dhillon rejected writer Kalyan Bandi's plagiarism allegations. The dispute centres on Bandi's claim that the film resembles his 2019 registered story and title.Taapsee’s Gandhari plagiarism row: Netflix says it takes originality very seriouslyThe plagiarism controversy surrounding Taapsee Pannu’s upcoming Netflix film Gandhari came up at the film’s trailer launch in Mumbai on Tuesday, with Netflix Original Films director Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh and writer-producer Kanika Dhillon addressing the allegations for the first time publicly. Both maintained that the film is an original work and said a clearer picture would emerge once audiences watched the trailer and the film.Writer Kalyan Bandi, an IIT Madras alumnus who works as an Inspector with Central GST and Customs, has alleged that Gandhari bears similarities to a story he wrote and registered in 2019, also titled Gandhari. He has claimed that he pitched the story to Monika Shergill, who was then with Voot and is now a Vice President at Netflix, and later sent a legal notice seeking compensation and credit. Dhillon’s production house Kathha Pictures has previously rejected the allegations.At the trailer launch, Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh said Netflix takes questions of originality and artistic attribution seriously.“You know, at Netflix, we take originality and artistic attribution very seriously. I want to make it very clear here that we receive multiple pitches, and the pitch in question is very different from Kanika and Taapsee’s Gandhari,” she said. She added that she did not want to make further assumptions about the matter and urged audiences to watch the film.“I won’t make any other assumptions or push this further. Please watch the film, watch the trailer, and as the film comes out, you will see. But we are always committed to the originality of our storytellers, whether someone is on a streak of five or six things or if this is their first time,” she said. Dhillon, who has worked as a writer before turning producer, said she understood the sentiments of another writer but maintained that she had never met Bandi.“You know, I’m a writer myself first and then a producer, so I totally respect somebody’s sentiments. But in this particular case, I’ve never met the writer, and I don’t know their journey,” she said.Dhillon added that she believed the similarities being alleged would be easier to assess once the story was seen in full.“I think once you hear the story, once you understand what the story is about, then you’ll have a much clearer picture. And like Ruchikaa said, as a platform, Netflix is committed to very stringent rules and parameters,” she said.“So I think there will be a clear picture once everything comes out. I have already mentioned that this is a completely original script, I just hope you all enjoy the film,” Dhillon added.What are the Gandhari plagiarism allegations?The controversy began after Kalyan Bandi claimed that Taapsee’s Gandhari shared similarities with a story he had written and registered in 2019. Bandi said his story centred on a mother who takes on the persona of a fierce goddess while attempting to rescue her child from a child-trafficking racket.Speaking to India Today, Bandi claimed that he first contacted Monika Shergill on LinkedIn in 2019 and subsequently shared an eight-page story and a two-page synopsis with her. He said the material was acknowledged, but he was later informed that the story did not fit the company’s commissioning slate.Bandi also claimed that he registered the story and synopsis with the Screenwriters Association around the same time and continued developing the idea. In 2023, he said, he approached Baweja Studios, where discussions around the story and screenplay continued for five to six months. He also claimed to have submitted the pitch to JioHotstar.The announcement of Gandhari on Netflix in 2025 came as a surprise to Bandi. He said the title immediately caught his attention and that he subsequently compared the announced project with the story he had developed. He felt there were enough similarities to raise the issue.Bandi has also argued that the title Gandhari itself was an important part of his original concept. “Only I can connect the title to the concept because it was my creativity. How can it be credited to Kanika Dhillon?” he said.He further claimed that he had sent a legal notice in September 2025 seeking financial compensation and credit. Bandi also alleged that some production houses with which he had been in discussions backed away after the announcement of the Netflix film, causing him financial and professional losses.Kathha Pictures rejects allegationsKanika Dhillon’s production house, Kathha Pictures, has rejected Bandi’s allegations. In a statement, the production house maintained that Gandhari is “an original work” and described the allegations as false.The film, written and produced by Dhillon and directed by Devashish Makhija, follows Bani, played by Taapsee Pannu, a mother who sets out to find and protect her kidnapped daughter. Set in the fictional town of Joypurra, the action thriller traces her journey as she encounters a series of threats while trying to reach her daughter.Gandhari also stars Ishwak Singh, Chhaya Kadam, Swastika Mukherjee, Mita Vashisht and Jatin Sarna.The film is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on September 3, 2026.- EndsPublished On: Aug 25, 2026 14:02 IST