Neeraj Pandey, producer of the upcoming film ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ starring Manoj Bajpayee, has withdrawn the film’s title as well as all trailers and promotional material released under that name, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions. In an affidavit submitted to the Court today, Pandey stated that while a new title has not yet been finalized, it will not resemble the previous one.
“I respectfully submit that the earlier title, “Ghooskhor Pandit”, stands unequivocally withdrawn and shall not be used in any manner whatsoever. While the new title has not yet been finalised, I undertake that any title that may hereafter be identified and adopted shall not be similar to, or evocative of, the earlier title in respect of which objections were raised, and shall accurately reflect the narrative and intent of the film without giving rise to unintended interpretations…I also state that all promotional material, posters, trailers and publicity content under the earlier title have already been withdrawn, prior to the listing of the present petition”, reads the affidavit filed by Pandey as mentioned on ANI, X.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed the filmmakers to change the film’s title, terming it denigrative toward a particular community. It had also ordered the producers to withdraw any material from the upcoming film that denigrated or was offensive to any community.
The controversy surrounding filmmaker Neeraj Pandey’s upcoming film ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ had intensified, with protests spreading across several cities and demonstrators burning effigies of the filmmaker and actor Manoj Bajpayee. Some protest groups had also issued threats to blacken their faces if the film was not banned.
The film had drawn criticism over its title, which protestors claimed insulted the Brahmin community by linking the word “ghooskhor” (meaning corrupt) with “Pandat” (a term commonly associated with Brahmins or Hindu priests). Community groups had argued that the title was offensive and targeted a specific caste.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Pragyaraj, protestors had gathered at Subhash Chowk and burned effigies of producer Neeraj Pandey, director Ritesh Shah, and actors associated with the film. Protestors had alleged that the film was made “with the intention of targeting Hindus and Brahmins” and had demanded a ban on Netflix, the platform that had been scheduled to stream the film.