Mumbai: Manoj Bajpayee’s upcoming Netflix film Ghooskhor Pandat has come under severe attack from Netizens over its title, with a lawyer even threatening to take the matter to court.
Major controversy erupted after the flim’s teaser release on Tuesday. It started receiving backlash over its casteist title and for ‘normalising hatred’ against a particular community, as reported by ABP LIVE.
The film unfairly targets the Brahmin community, many social media users believe and have warned Netflix of a ‘mass boycott’. Many demanded that the streaming platform ‘change the name now or face a ban’.
Shashank Shekhar Jha, who claims to be a Supreme Court lawyer, has even warned of legal action, for what he described as the ‘normalisation of hatred against Pandits and Brahmins’.
“Hello Netflix India, normalisation of hatred against Pandits & Brahmins won’t be tolerated. I’ll see you in Court,” Jha wrote on X.
He shared a screenshot of Netflix’s teaser for the film along with his post. “Har corrupt officer ko badalne ka ek mauka milta hai. Ab Officer Ajay Dixit ki baari [Every corrupt officer gets a chance to change. Now it’s Officer Ajay Dixit’s turn],” the post says.
A social media page called ‘Gems of Bollywood’ claimed it has formally filed a complaint against Netflix over the film Gh
ooskhor Pandat, starring Manoj Bajpayee.
The title is ‘deeply offensive and casteist,’ the page alleged, accusing the makers of collectively vilifying a recognised social group and encouraging social hostility by legitimising prejudice.
“[Complaint filed for] deeply offensive and casteist title, collective vilification of a recognised social group, and encouraging social hostility by legitimising prejudice”, it posted.
“Ghuskhor Pandat? What kind of title is this? Would it be acceptable if a movie or series were made with a similar ‘Ghuskhor Mohamedan’ title? This is not freedom of speech. This is bigotry driven by an agenda. Such content should not be allowed to release,” a social media user posted.
“..Funny how corruption suddenly becomes a religious caricature when it’s convenient. Equally funny how other identities are handled with velvet gloves and disclaimers,” another one added.
“Ghooskhor Pandat isn’t accidental. If corruption was the point, the title could have been Officer, Babu, or Netaji. But Bollywood’s old habit remains. Demonise Brahmins and dress it up as ‘art,” a third one wrote.
“Netflix India, you know exactly what you are doing, and this won’t be tolerated anymore,” it was mentioned in the post.
“These days, the OTT networks deliberately try to create controversy for free publicity by stirring up social media. Why else would Netflix India choose a title like Ghooskhor Pandat, which could offend an entire community,” another netizen wondered.
Another person posted; “‘I’m not even a brahmin but this vile hatred towards brahmins is just too much at this point. Imagine a title like ‘Ghooskhor Dalit’ or ‘Ghooskhor Muslim’ and see the reactions.”