Ghooskhor Pandat title row: Supreme Court asks for ‘new name or won’t permit release’
Ghooskhor Pandat Title Row: The Supreme Court issued a notice to the makers of Ghooskhor Pandat on Thursday for its ‘casteist’ title. The court also chastised the makers of the Netflix film, which stars Manoj Bajpayee in the lead role. As a warning to the filmmakers, the Supreme Court declared, ‘Tell us the new name of the film, or we will not permit release.’
The bench expressed strong opinions during the hearing, raising concerns about picking this title. “Why should you denigrate a section of society by using such a title. This is against morality and public order. We will not allow you to release the film unless you tell us the changed title,” the bench said, according to PTI.
With its title, which translates to ‘a corrupt Pandat or Brahmin’ in English, Ghooskhor Pandat, which was written and produced by Neeraj Pandey, has been in the headlines for offending the Hindus. The top court ordered Neeraj Pandey to submit an affidavit claiming that the Netflix film did not disparage any group in society. A follow-up hearing has been scheduled for February 19th, following the announcement of the new title name.
The remarks were made during a court hearing on a plea alleging that the movie threatens public order, communal peace, and constitutional principles by encouraging stereotyping based on caste and religion. The request asked for an immediate halt to the movie’s streaming and release.
Ghooskhor Pandat seemed like a crime thriller in which Manoj Bajpayee portrayed a dishonest police officer who was given a shot at redemption through a particular case, according to the teaser. The movie and its title drew a lot of criticism despite not being released yet, with some claiming that it normalised hostility and even caste prejudice.
‘Against morality, public order’: SC raps filmmaker Neeraj Pandey over ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ movie title
NEW DELHI: You cannot denigrate a section of society by using such a title, the Supreme Court remarked on Thursday while rapping filmmaker Neeraj Pandey on his film Ghooskhor Pandat.
The top court was hearing a plea seeking a stay on the release of the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer film on OTT platform Netflix.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notices to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Central Board for Film Certification and Pandey on a plea against the movie.
“Why should you denigrate a section of society by using such a title. This is against morality and public order. We will not allow you to release the film unless you tell us the changed title,” the bench said.
The top court directed Pandey to file an affidavit that the film ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ doesn’t denigrate any section of society.
The matter would be heard again on February 19.
The plea alleged that the movie promotes caste and religion-based stereotyping and threatens public order, communal harmony, and constitutional values.
Ghooskhor Pandat, produced by filmmaker Neeraj Pandey, was announced by Netflix at an event in Mumbai recently.
The film stars Manoj Bajpayee, along with Nushrat Bharuccha, Saqib Saleem, Akshay Oberoi, and Divya Dutta.
The top court was hearing a PIL filed by Atul Mishra, National Organisation Secretary of the Brahman Samaj of India, seeking directions to stay the release of the movie scheduled to stream on Netflix.
The plea alleged that the movie title and storyline are prima facie offensive and derogatory, which portray the Brahmin community in a defamatory manner.
The PIL objected to the use of the word “Pandat,” a caste and religion-identifying title, alongside “Ghooskhor,” which denotes bribery and moral corruption.
