Ghooskhor Pandat Title Controversy: Manoj Bajpayee starrer has been facing backlash after the makers unveiled the teaser. It was followed by multiple FIRs against director Neeraj Pandey and streaming giant Netflix for the 'insensitive' title, hurting the sentiments of a particular community. To resolve the matter, Netflix informed the Delhi High Court about their decision to change the title. Now, the Supreme Court has also ordered Neeraj Pandey to change the title, or they'll halt the release of the film.
According to a report in PTI, A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan heard a plea seeking a stay on the release of Ghooskhor Pandat and issued a notice to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Central Board for Film Certification and Pandey on a plea against the film. The bench 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. Being woke is one thing. But denigrating public and creating thjs kind of unrest. You are adding to the unrest."
Emphasising the principle of fraternity enshrined in the Constitution, the judge added that the framers were conscious of India's diversity of races, castes and communities. "No section of the society should be denigrated. As long as late 40s the framers of Constitution were aware of the multitude of races, castes etc. So they introduced concept of fraternity. If you use your freedom to denigrate any section of the society we can't permit it," Justice Nagarathna remarked.
The bench further asked the new title of Manoj Bajpayee starrer, to which the counsel of Neeraj Pandey said, "We have not been able to decide the new title. We can assure that it will be such that there will not be any conflict."
The bench has ordered Pandey to file an affidavit that the film Ghooskhor Pandat doesn't denigrate any section of society.
The matter will be heard again on February 19.
Earlier, on February 10, the Delhi High Court was informed by Netflix that the producer had taken a "conscious decision" to change the film's name in light of concerns raised. The Court subsequently disposed of the petition after noting that the petitioner's grievance was confined to the title, which stood resolved following the decision to adopt an alternate name.
Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Manoj said India has become a "very touchy nation" and added that people are on the brink of getting personal at the drop of a hat. “We’ve become a very touchy nation. We are always on the brink, ready to blow our fuse and get personal and abusive at the drop of a hat. The title is being taken care of," he was quoted as saying.
The controversy centred on the title 'Ghooskhor Pandat', which roughly translates to "Corrupt Pandit," with "Pandat" commonly associated with a Brahmin surname. Critics argued that this could perpetuate stereotypes and harm the community's sentiments. The writ petition was 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.
Apart from Manoj, the movie stars Nushrratt Bharuccha, Shraddha Das, Divya Dutta, Saqib Saleem and Akshay Oberoi in pivotal roles.
