Lucknow: Netflix’s upcoming film ‘Ghooskhor Pandit’ directed by Neeraj Pandey and starring Manoj Bajpayee has sparked a political and social controversy following the release of its promo on Tuesday, with a section of the public protesting against the title, calling it derogatory, hurtful and insulting.
On Friday evening, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said the government has formally directed streaming platforms to remove the title and other promotional materials of the film.
Pathak said, “A film titled Ghooskhor Pandat was announced for release on an OTT platform, which was creating very negative and hurtful sentiments in our community. We had requested the Government of India to take action. The Government of India immediately took cognizance and directed OTT platforms like Netflix to remove the title of the film…” Pathak said.
Earlier in the day, following the backlash, Manoj Bajpayee and Neeraj Pandey posted on their respective Instagram accounts to apologise, and confirmed that all promotional material had been removed from social media.
“When you’re a part of something that hurts some people, it forces you to stop and listen,” he wrote. He further added that his role focuses on portraying “a flawed man and his journey of self-realization”. He underlined that the character-driven police drama was not meant to be a social or community statement.
Bajpayee also expressed confidence in filmmaker Neeraj Pandey, noting the director’s “constant seriousness and care” in storytelling.
Director Neeraj Pandey clarified that the series is a fictional police drama and “Pandat” is used solely as a colloquial name for a fictional character.
He said that the story focuses on individual actions and choices, not race or religion, and reiterated that the project was made with the true intention of entertaining.
Political reactions continued, with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticizing the BJP, saying, “Be very wary of the BJP and be careful, because who gave the permission to stream it on OTT platforms? The BJP gave it… I bet the money used to make it also came from the government,” Yadav said.
On this, Swami Chakrapani told ANI, “It is very unfortunate…Deliberate efforts have been made through Bollywood to create a feeling of division within the Hindu society…This is highly condemnable and completely intolerable.”
On February 6, citing concerns of hurting religious sentiments and public harmony, an FIR was registered against Pandey and his team at Hazratganj police station in Lucknow. A writ petition has also been filed in the Delhi High Court demanding a ban on the release of the series.
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