Taapsee Pannu Starrer Gandhari Faces Copyright Controversy Over Plot Theft Allegations

Taapsee Pannu's upcoming film Gandhari is embroiled in a copyright dispute before its release after a writer claimed the plot was copied, though the production house denied the allegations.

Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu's upcoming film Gandhari is running into rough waters ahead of its release as a major copyright controversy takes center stage. The core plot of the movie has drawn sharp scrutiny after a writer named Kalyan Bandi claimed that the storyline mirrors a narrative he wrote and officially registered back in the year 2019. On the flip side, the production house headed by writer and producer Kanika Dhillon has dismissed these accusations as entirely false and baseless.

According to representatives from the production banner, the narrative behind Taapsee's project is not a copied or plagiarized work in any capacity, but rather an entirely original script. Long before hitting the screens, this intellectual property dispute has thrust the movie into intense media attention, making it one of the most talked-about upcoming releases.

The Premise and the Writer's Claims
In this much-awaited project, Taapsee Pannu portrays a mother whose daughter is abducted, driving the protagonist to push past every conceivable boundary and stop at nothing to track down her child. It is this core premise that prompted writer Kalyan Bandi to raise serious questions, pointing out that he had penned a story titled Gandhari way back in 2019 and had it duly registered. His version similarly revolves around a mother's relentless struggle who transforms into an unyielding force after crossing paths with a child trafficking syndicate.

Sharing the Narrative within Industry Circles
Kalyan Bandi serves as an inspector in the Central GST and Customs department. He asserted that he had narrated his concept to industry insiders years prior to the film's announcement. In an interview, he revealed that he pitched the story in 2019 to Monica Shergill, who currently holds the position of Vice President at Netflix. He further claimed to have shared an eight-page detailed narrative alongside a two-page summary centered entirely around the title Gandhari.

Legal Notices and the Production Stand
The author maintained that he was initially informed that his script had been turned down, after which he secured his original writing and summary with the Film Writers Association. However, when the announcement for Gandhari dropped on Netflix in 2025, he found it hard to process how the similarities came to be. Pointing out striking parallels between his work and the announced project, he reached out to the film's production team in September 2025 demanding financial compensation and proper writing credits, followed by a formal legal notice. In response, Kanika Dhillon's production banner rejected the claims outright, maintaining that the movie's plot is completely original.

What this means for you
Impact on Entertainment: - Across India: This dispute highlights ongoing concerns regarding intellectual property rights and script security within the film industry, potentially prompting writers and production houses to adopt stricter documentation practices.

Questions & Answers

1. Who is playing the lead role in the movie Gandhari?
Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu plays the lead role in the film Gandhari.

2. Who has accused the makers of Gandhari of plot theft?
Writer and Central GST/Customs inspector Kalyan Bandi has raised copyright infringement allegations regarding the film's storyline.

3. When did the writer claim to have registered his story?
Writer Kalyan Bandi claimed that he wrote and registered his story back in the year 2019.

4. How did the production house respond to the allegations?
The production banner of writer and producer Kanika Dhillon dismissed the claims as false, maintaining that the film's plot is entirely original.

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