Taapsee Pannu’s high-octane thriller Gandhari has run into a copyright row just days ahead of its scheduled release on Netflix. Writer Kalyan Bandi has alleged that the film bears strong similarities to a registered concept he developed in 2019.
Kalyan, an IIT Madras alumnus who works as an inspector with Central GST and Customs, claims he wrote a story centred on a mother who transforms into a fierce goddess-like figure to rescue her kidnapped child from a trafficking racket. According to him, he pitched the script to Monika Shergill in 2019 when she was with Voot before her transition to Netflix as Vice President. Kalyan also registered the treatment with the Screenwriters Association.
When Netflix announced Gandhari in 2025, Kalyan was taken aback by the overlap. “Only I can connect the title to the concept because it was my creativity. How can it be credited to Kanika Dhillon?” he stated. Although Kalyan served a legal notice in September 2025 seeking around ₹40 lakh in compensation and screen credit, the matter did not proceed to court because of the financial strain of prolonged litigation. He noted, “I don’t even want money. Just say thank you and acknowledge that it was my idea.”
Kanika Dhillon’s production house, Kathha Pictures, has firmly dismissed the allegations, asserting that the project is an authentic creation.
In an official statement, Kathha Pictures said, “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.”
Directed by Devashish Makhija, Gandhari follows a determined mother named Bani and marks the fourth creative collaboration between Taapsee and Kanika after Manmarziyaan, Haseen Dillruba and Phir Aayi Haseen Dillruba. The film premieres on September 3.
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