Netflix Denies Plagiarism Claims Surrounding Taapsee Pannu’s Gandhari

ISLAMABAD: (News Desk) – Netflix has responded to plagiarism allegations surrounding its upcoming film Gandhari, after writer Kalyan Bandi accused Netflix executive Monika Shergill of using an original concept he claims to have pitched years ago for the Taapsee Pannu-starrer.

Speaking at the film’s trailer launch in Mumbai, Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh, Netflix India’s Director of Original Films, addressed the controversy and defended the project’s originality.

She said Netflix takes questions surrounding artistic attribution seriously, adding that the company receives numerous pitches and that the concept allegedly submitted by Bandi is significantly different from the Gandhari developed by writer Kanika Dhillon and actor Taapsee Pannu.

Sheikh urged audiences to watch the film before drawing conclusions and reaffirmed Netflix’s commitment to protecting the originality of storytellers, regardless of whether they are established writers or newcomers to the industry.

Writer Claims Similar Concept Was Pitched in 2019

Bandi, an IIT Madras alumnus working with Central GST and Customs, claims he developed a story titled Gandhari in 2019.

According to the writer, his story focused on a mother who transforms into a fierce, almost goddess-like figure while attempting to rescue her child from a human trafficking network.

Bandi says he later presented the concept to Monika Shergill, who was then associated with Voot and is now Netflix India’s vice president of content. He claims he submitted an eight-page story and synopsis but was informed that the project did not fit the platform’s content plans at the time.

Following the announcement of Gandhari in 2025, Bandi reportedly issued a legal notice seeking Rs40 lakh in compensation.

However, he has said that financial compensation is not his main objective. Instead, he wants the creators to acknowledge that he had developed the original idea.

Kanika Dhillon’s Production House Rejects Allegations

Writer-producer Kanika Dhillon’s production company, Kathha Pictures, has strongly rejected the plagiarism claims.

The production house said the allegations were false and maintained that Gandhari is an original project written and produced by Dhillon and developed under the Kathha Pictures banner.

Directed by Devashish Makhija, the film stars Taapsee Pannu in the lead role alongside Ishwak Singh, Chhaya Kadam, Swastika Mukherjee, Mita Vashisht and Jatin Sarna.

The controversy now places additional attention on the film ahead of its release, with both the writer making allegations and the filmmakers firmly disputing them.