EXCLUSIVE: Kanika Dhillon breaks silence on Gandhari plagiarism row, says “This trend is very alarming”; reveals she has stopped taking pitches

Writer-producer Kanika Dhillon has opened up about the plagiarism and idea-theft allegations surrounding her upcoming Netflix film Gandhari, starring Taapsee Pannu and Ishwak Singh. Addressing the controversy during the film’s promotions, Dhillon told Bollywood Hungama that she is concerned about the growing trend of people making claims on social media and the impact such allegations can have on writers and their work.

Kanika Dhillon said she is particularly worried that such allegations are increasingly becoming a trend, especially when films receive significant attention. She also pointed out that her long career and volume of work could potentially make her more vulnerable to such claims. “I'm actually very worried that this has become a trend. I considerably do a lot more work than other popular writers also. My volume of work is a little more. That means I'm going to be facing this the most with that equation. So, I'm very worried,” she said to Bollywood Hungama.

The writer-producer also spoke about the role of social media and gossip platforms in amplifying allegations. According to Dhillon, unverified claims can quickly gain attention, even when the eventual release of a film establishes the differences between the projects being compared. She added, “Today social media is there and there are gossip sites and everything can be picked up. It gives you 15 minutes of fame, and it is so alarming. Of course, it's going to be proven bogus because when the film will come out, you will know everything is different. But that 15 minutes of fame has happened so now it has encouraged 20 more people.”

Dhillon further stressed that allegations can have consequences beyond the immediate media cycle. She said creative professionals spend years building their reputations and that even when reports use terms such as “alleged”, the impact can remain with the person being accused.

“I say something about her, it could be also from genuine angst. But we also have reputations we built over 20 years. I'm actually very upset with this whole trend that everyone is latching on to that. Now that a writer has become famous, I'll also do that. You will not believe but after that everybody's like ‘hm you know it is so easy to sort of just get up and make a claim and then go to the media and just get those headlines.’ I also wanted to talk to the media about it. When you are even saying alleged, you know, it is harming your reputation because so much work has been put in. That headline will remain for one-two days but it's going to really have an impact. I'm going to be mentally harassed about it for years to come,” Dhillon shared.

Kanika Dhillon also referred to similar claims being made around other high-profile films, including Dhurandhar. She called for proper due diligence and procedures before allegations are amplified publicly. She went on to conclude by stating, “I just hope that there is some way that this can be contained because trust you me. this is just going to increase and not only with me. Recently all, like I mean Dhurandhar has had claims and every film that has come out which has been in the limelight has had claims someone stands up and then the problem is it gets amplified and then it gets talked about. But one should wait for due diligence one should wait for proper procedures and policies. Some checks should be there that is what I believe.”

Dhillon’s comments come ahead of the release of Gandhari, which is set to premiere on Netflix on September 3. The film marks another collaboration between Kanika Dhillon and Taapsee Pannu, with the latter playing the central role in the action-driven story.

The controversy around the film has also brought renewed attention to the larger issue of intellectual property and originality in the Hindi film industry, particularly at a time when social media can rapidly amplify competing claims about projects. For Dhillon, however, the larger concern is the potential impact such allegations can have on the creative community and the trust between writers and filmmakers.

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