‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ row: Netflix to revise title, Delhi High Court rejects petition to halt release

Mumbai: In a major relief for actor Manoj Bajpayee and the makers of his forthcoming Netflix drama “Ghooskhor Pandat”, the Delhi High Court has dismissed the petition seeking a ban on the release and streaming of the film.

The decision comes after Netflix informed the Delhi High Court that it is going to change the name of the movie.

The lawyer representing the streaming giant further stated that all promotional material related to the movie has already been removed from social media.

The petitioner had alleged that the title and proposed content of the film are defamatory and communally offensive.

A massive row erupted after social media users criticised the title of the film, calling it derogatory towards the Brahmin community.

Apart from this, multiple FIRs were filed seeking a ban on the release of the project.

A few days back, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) had also written to the producer to withdraw the title of the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer.

Urging different OTT platforms to address the issue, they penned, “FWICE and all its affiliated associations strongly object to the use of this title, as it appears to single out and target a particular community and its traditional means of livelihood in a derogatory and offensive manner. Such a title has the potential to hurt sentiments, provoke misunderstanding, and disturb social harmony”.

They further mentioned, “FWICE firmly believes that there should be no division in society on the grounds of caste, creed, religion, or profession. All professions are equally dignified and deserving of respect. The film industry, being a powerful medium of expression, carries a moral and social responsibility to ensure that its content and titles.do not promote hatred, disrespect, or unrest among citizens. We therefore appeal to all producer bodies to refrain from allowing the registration or continuation of film titles that are provocative in nature and capable of creating unrest among Indians.”

Previously, Manoj Bajpayee also reacted to the objection about the name of his next film, saying that the movie is not a remark on a particular community.

He shared, “As an actor, I come to a film through the character and the story I am playing. For me, this was about portraying a flawed individual and his journey of self realisation. This was not meant to be a statement about any community.”

IANS