Ghooskhor Pandat in SC: Manoj Bajpayee‘s latest thriller-drama, set to release on Netflix, has found itself in a legal soup. Hearing the plea against the movie’s title, ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’, the Supreme Court of India has now issued notices to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Central Board for Film Certification, and maker Neeraj Pandey. This came after the Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees (FWICE) opposed the release of the film, calling the title change ‘not enough’.
Presided by a bench, Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan questioned the producers of ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’. They said, “Why should you denigrate a section of society by using such a title. This is against morality and public order. We will not allow you to release the film unless you tell us the changed title.”
The long-standing battle comes during the same time Tamil superstar Vijay’s swansong, Jana Nayagan, has faced a delay of over a month, putting the Rs 500 crore film at risk.
SC asks Ghooskhor Pandat maker to file affidavit
In addition to the notices, the apex court also directed Pandey to file an affidavit that his film, ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’, does not intend or imply harm to any section of the society. The complaint, which prompted the case, alleged that the movie promoted caste and religion-based stereotyping. It reportedly threatened public order, communal harmony, and constitutional values.
The FWICE President, BN Tiwari, also spoke to the Hindustan Times earlier this week. He demanded a screening of Manoj Bajpayee’s film before its release on the OTT platform, and warned of action if the makers failed to do so. He told HT, “We are fine with the decision to change the title, but that alone is not enough. We would like to watch the film and understand how the community is depicted, as a title usually stems from the essence of the narrative.”
He expressed shock towards ‘big names’ such as Neeraj and Manoj. Then, he also rallied for community approval before the film was released. Tiwari added, “Title kahani se hi banta hai aur related hota hai isiliye community ke liye screening honi chaiyeh [The title is derived from the story that’s why we want a screening for the community].” The FWICE President also claimed that ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ makers had not cleared the title with the film body before making it public. He emphasised that there would be serious action, if the film was released without a screening for both FWICE and the ‘community’.
The next hearing at the top court, for Ghooskhor Pandat makers has been scheduled for February 19.