Mumbai: Manoj Bajpayee’s upcoming crime thriller, originally titled ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’, has been renamed ‘Gajab Raat’.
The film is set to premiere on Netflix on October 23, the streaming platform announced.
Directed by Ritesh Shah and produced by Neeraj Pandey’s banner Friday Storytellers, the film follows a police officer torn between personal gain and his sense of right and wrong.
A decision he makes sets off a chain of events that unfolds over the course of a single night, according to Netflix’s press release.
The film also features Saqib Saleem, Shraddha Das, Akshay Oberoi, Divya Dutta, Kiku Sharda and Nushrratt Bharuccha in pivotal roles.
‘Gajab Raat’ reunites Bajpayee and Pandey nearly a decade after their previous collaboration.
“My association with Netflix has been an exciting journey, and ‘Gajab Raat’ is another project I’m delighted to be a part of,” Bajpayee said in a statement.
The actor previously collaborated with the streaming platform on the 2025 film ‘Inspector Zende’.
“I have always been drawn to characters who are not easy to define, and this film gave me the opportunity to inhabit a world filled with suspense, moral dilemmas and questions of accountability. What makes the story particularly compelling is how the characters’ motivations gradually reveal themselves as the night unfolds,” he added.
The film also marks another collaboration between Pandey and Netflix, following the Khakee franchise, Sikandar Ka Muqaddar and the recently released series Taskaree.
“I have always believed that an engaging story should do more than keep you guessing; it should also leave you thinking. ‘Gajab Raat’ is a thriller where the choices that people make push them to a point where there are no easy answers. The tension comes as much from the moral dilemmas the characters face as from the events unfolding over the course of one night,” Pandey said.
“Reuniting with Manoj and introducing Ritesh as a director was another exciting aspect of the project. I’m looking forward to audiences experiencing the film on Netflix,” he added.
Shah, whose writing credits include films such as Kahaani, Pink, Airlift and Raid, said his love for thrillers helped shape the film’s narrative.
“[Opening portion of the quote to be verified] …pull you into a situation and keep you guessing what happens next, and that was the starting point for ‘Gajab Raat’. With the story unfolding over a single night, we had the opportunity to build a sense of urgency and keep raising the stakes as events unfold… I’m looking forward to audiences discovering the film and experiencing the story for themselves,” he said.
Netflix had announced the film in February under its original title, Ghooskhor Pandat, triggering widespread backlash on social media.
Several users, politicians and organisations criticised the title, describing it as “casteist and offensive”.
The controversy led to the registration of FIRs and a notice from the National Human Rights Commission to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The matter also reached the Supreme Court, where the makers informed the court that they would change the title.
