Ghooskhor Pandat, the upcoming Neeraj Pandey film caught in a huge public row over its name, drew strong disapproval from the Supreme Court on February 12, with the top court observing that no section of society can be disparaged through such naming.
The remarks came while the court was hearing a plea seeking a stay on the release of the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer on OTT platform Netflix.
A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notices to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), and Pandey in response to the petition challenging the film.
Questioning the choice of title, the bench said it was improper to portray a community in a negative light.
“Why should you denigrate a section of society by using such a title? This is against morality and public order. We will not permit the release unless you inform us of the revised title,” the court observed.
The apex court directed Pandey to file an affidavit clarifying that the film does not defame or demean any community. The matter has been posted for further hearing on February 19.
The petition contended that the title and storyline of the film promote caste- and religion-based stereotyping and pose a threat to public order, communal harmony, and constitutional values.
The public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by Atul Mishra, National Organisation Secretary of the Brahman Samaj of India, seeking directions to halt the film’s release on Netflix.
According to the plea, the title is prima facie offensive and defamatory towards the Brahmin community. It objected specifically to the use of the term “Pandat”, which it described as a caste- and religion-linked identifier, when combined with “Ghooskhor”, a word associated with bribery and moral corruption.
Ghooskhor Pandat, produced by Neeraj Pandey, was recently unveiled by Netflix at an event in Mumbai. The film features Manoj Bajpayee in the lead, alongside Nushrat Bharuccha, Saqib Saleem, Akshay Oberoi and Divya Dutta.
On Tuesday, Netflix India had informed the Delhi HC that the film will be renamed. “The producer has taken a conscious decision in light of the concern that has arisen to change the title of the film from ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ to an alternate title which more accurately reflects the film’s narrative and intent,” the HC had recorded.
