Netflix India has responded to allegations surrounding its upcoming film Gandhari, after writer Kalyan Bandi claimed that the Taapsee Pannu-starrer was based on a story he had written and pitched in 2019.
Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh, Director of Original Films at Netflix India, addressed the controversy at the film’s trailer launch in Mumbai on Tuesday. She said Netflix takes artistic attribution seriously but maintained that the pitch referred to by Bandi was different from Gandhari.
“We take artistic attribution very seriously. We are a service that receive multiple pitches, and the pitch in question is very different from Kanika Dhillon and Taapsee Pannu’s Gandhari,” Ruchikaa said.
She also asked audiences to watch the film before reaching conclusions about the allegations.
What is the Gandhari script controversy?
Bandi claims he wrote a story titled Gandhari in 2019. According to his account, the story centred on a mother who becomes a fierce figure while attempting to save her child from a child-trafficking racket.
He said he contacted Monika Shergill through LinkedIn in 2019, when she was associated with Voot, and subsequently shared an eight-page story and a two-page synopsis.
Bandi claims that although his material was acknowledged, he was later informed that the concept did not fit the company’s commissioning slate at the time.
After Gandhari was announced in 2025, Bandi said he sent a legal notice seeking around ₹40 lakh in compensation as well as credit for his work.
However, he has maintained that acknowledgement was more important to him than the financial compensation.
Netflix stresses commitment to originality
Ruchikaa also emphasised Netflix’s position on originality and attribution.
“We are always committed to the originality of our storytellers, whether someone has written five or six films or if it is their first film,” she said.
Her comments came days after Bandi’s allegations generated discussion around the upcoming film.
Kanika Dhillon rejects allegations
Gandhari writer and producer Kanika Dhillon has denied Bandi’s claims.
Her production house, Kathha Pictures, said the allegations that the film copied another person’s concept or title were false. The production house described Gandhari as an original work written and developed by Dhillon and Kathha Pictures.
The makers have also urged the media and public not to present the allegations as verified facts.
Taapsee Pannu leads Gandhari
Directed by Devashish Makhija, Gandhari stars Taapsee Pannu in the lead role. The film also features Ishwak Singh, Chhaya Kadam, Swastika Mukherjee, Mita Vashisht and Jatin Sarna.
The story is set in the fictional town of Joypurra and follows Bani, a mother whose devotion is tested as she confronts a series of extraordinary challenges.
Written and produced by Kanika Dhillon, Gandhari is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on September 3.
For now, the competing claims remain at the centre of the controversy, with Netflix and the film’s makers rejecting the allegation while Bandi continues to maintain that his 2019 concept bears a connection to the upcoming film.
