Manoj Bajpayee breaks silence after FIR over Ghooskhor Pandat title row

An FIR was filed against the makers of the film Ghooskhor Pandat for hurting people with its title and content. Lead actor Manoj Bajpayee spoke out against the matter after director Neeraj Pandey

Actor Manoj Bajpayee has addressed the backlash surrounding the title of Ghooskhor Pandat, in which he plays a corrupt police officer known as ‘Pandat’. The Netflix film has sparked complaints and legal challenges over the use of the term, prompting Bajpayee’s response after writer Neeraj Pandey issued a statement expressing regret over any offence caused and clarifying that ‘Pandat’ is merely a colloquial name given to a fictional character.

 

Following several complaints calling for the removal of the film's defamatory title that “offends the Brahmin community's religious sentiments,” a formal complaint was filed against director Ritesh Shah and the film's crew at the Hazratganj Police Station in Lucknow on Thursday.

 

 

Bajpayee said he respected the emotions and objections expressed by people and took them seriously. In a post on his official X account, the actor noted that when a project one is associated with ends up hurting sentiments, it becomes important to pause, reflect and listen.

 

He further stressed that the film was never intended to comment on or target any community. Bajpayee explained that, as an actor, his engagement with a film is driven by the character and the story, adding that his role was centred on portraying a flawed man and his journey towards self-realisation. 

What is the controversy about Ghooskhor Pandat?

The dispute started when Ashutosh Dubey, an advocate from Mumbai, sent a legal notice to Netflix and the film's creators requesting that the film’s title be removed because it is "defamatory, communal vilifying, unconstitutional, and socially incendiary."

 

Advocate Vineet Jindal filed a writ case in the Delhi High Court, requesting a suspension of the movie's release because the title is “derogatory and defamatory” to the Brahmin community.

 

According to Dubey, the term "Pandit" or "Panditt," which is "deeply rooted in Indian civilisation," is wrongly linked to bribery since it connotes "criminality and moral depravity" with a revered ethnic identity. The notice described the usage as "objectionable" and "per se offensive." Furthermore, corruption is "an individual moral failing and should not be projected as a community trait," according to the statement. 

I respect the emotions and concerns people have shared, and I take them seriously. When something you are part of causes hurt to some people, it makes you pause and listen.  As an actor, I come to a film through the character and the story I am playing. For me, this was about… https://t.co/IGlQtLQeNs

— manoj bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj) February 6, 2026

 

Neeraj Pandey issues an official statement

After the dispute over Ghooskhor Pandat's title persisted, author Neeraj Pandey released a statement. He stated, “Our film is a fictional cop drama, and the term 'Pandat' is used simply as a colloquial name for a fictional character… We understand that the title of the film has caused hurt to some viewers, and we genuinely acknowledge those feelings”. 

 

He added, “In light of these concerns, we have decided to take down all promotional materials for the time being, as we believe the film should be experienced in its entirety and understood in the context of the story we intended to tell, rather than judged on partial glimpses".