Ghooskhor Pandat Controversy: Manoj Bajpayee Starrer To Get A New Title, Delhi High Court Rejects Petition To Halt Release

Ghooskhor Pandat Title Controversy: Manoj Bajpayee's upcoming drama got involved in a legal battle after multiple FIRs were filed against the title of the film. Petitioners found the title "offensive and derogatory", hurting the sentiments of a particular community. Soon after director Neeraj Pandey pulled down the teaser, acknowledging the sentiments of people and promised to release the film soon, leaving no scope for judgment. Now, the makers have decided to change the name of the film, owing to wide-scale protest across India.

Delhi High Court rejects ban plea

According to a news agency, IANS, the Delhi High Court has dismissed the petition seeking a ban on the release of the film. The decision was announced after Netflix informed the court that they had decided to change the name of the movie and would adopt an alternate title that better reflects the film's narrative and intent. The lawyer representing Netflix further stated that all promotional materials have been removed from Instagram, X and YouTube.

In view of Netflix's submission regarding the change of title and the petitioner stating that his objection had been addressed, the High Court closed the matter.

Ghooskhor Pandat title controversy

The controversy centres on the title 'Ghooskhor Pandat', which roughly translates to "Corrupt Pandit," with "Pandat" commonly associated with a Brahmin surname. Critics argue that this could perpetuate stereotypes and harm the community's sentiments. The writ petition had been filed seeking to restrain the release of the Netflix film on the ground that its earlier title was defamatory and communally offensive. Filed through Advocate Vineet Jindal, the plea sought directions to the authorities to intervene and stay the streaming of the film, along with other consequential reliefs.

Mahender Chaturvedi, who describes himself as an Acharya devoted to the study and teaching of Indian scriptures and spiritual traditions, had claimed to be directly aggrieved by the use of the word "Pandat" in the title. He alleged that associating the term with corruption and bribery harmed the dignity and reputation of the Brahmin community as well as his own vocation.

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