Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee’s upcoming Netflix film Ghooskhor Pandat landed in controversy soon after its teaser was unveiled on February 3 during a Netflix event. While the teaser introduces Manoj as a morally compromised police officer entangled in corruption and conspiracy, it is the film’s title, not its plot, that has triggered a fierce backlash online. Several social media users have called the title casteist, accusing the makers and the platform of targeting a specific community, and have demanded either a change in the name or a boycott of the film.
Manoj Bajpayee’s still from his upcoming film Ghooskhor Pandat.Ghooskhor Pandat receives backlash over its title
Soon after the teaser dropped, social media platforms were flooded with criticism and calls for action against Netflix. One user wrote, “Hello @NetflixIndia, normalisation of hatred against Pandits & Brahmins won’t be tolerated. I’ll see you in court.” Another tweet read, “The name of this movie is highly objectionable. Can Netflix name a movie as ‘Ghooskhor Dalit’ or ‘Ghooskhor Muslim’? Change it ASAP!”
Another viewer commented, “Absolutely shameful. They have picked a community that is a soft target to peddle their bigotry. Change it now or face a ban.” Echoing similar sentiments, an X user warned Netflix, “Hello @NetflixIndia, you have given the name Ghooskhor Pandit. Do you have the guts to put ‘Ghooskhor Muslim’ in any of your web series? Remove this title or be ready to face a mass boycott of Netflix.”
Another post read, “They could have named this show anything, but they specifically chose this to set a narrative. How is this okay? Maybe we should start boycotting them to teach them a lesson.” As of now, Netflix and the Ghooskhor Pandat team have not issued any official response to the backlash.
About Ghooskhor Pandat
The film follows the story of a corrupt police officer, Ajay Dikshit (nicknamed Pandat), whose plans to make quick money go awry when he becomes entangled in a global conspiracy. As he attempts to uncover the identity of a critically injured young woman who is thrown out of a moving car in the heart of Delhi, events spiral into something far bigger than he anticipates.
Directed by Ritesh Shah, the film is written by Neeraj Pandey. The cast includes Nushrratt Bharuccha, Divya Dutta, Saqib Saleem, Akshay Oberoi, Shraddha Das and Kiku Sharda in key roles. The official release date of the film is yet to be announced.