The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the makers of the film Ghooskhor Pandat to file an affidavit confirming that the movie’s title has been withdrawn, Live Law reported.
The court also directed that the affidavit must mention the new name of the film.
This came after the counsel for the film’s producers told the court that the process was underway to change the title.
Issuing a notice to the Union government, the Central Board of Film Certification and the film’s director Neeraj Pandey, a bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan said that it cannot allow the movie to be released unless the new name is placed on record.
It was hearing a public interest litigation objecting to the film’s title for allegedly defaming the Brahmin community.
The plea was filed amid a row that erupted after streaming platform Netflix on February 3 released its slate of films and series for 2026. A teaser for Ghooskhor Pandat, directed by Panday and Ritesh Shah, was also released.
The film, starring Manoj Bajpayee, Nushrratt Bharuccha and Shraddha Das, was criticised by some groups for its title that allegedly vilified the Brahmin community.
The use of the word “pandat”, associated with the Brahmin community and also meaning a priest, with “ghooskhor”, a term for someone who accepts bribes, sparked the uproar.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court said that the right to freedom of speech is subject to restrictions. “Why should you denigrate a section of society by this kind of title?” Live Law quoted the bench as having asked.
On Tuesday, Netflix told the Delhi High Court that the film will be renamed and all its promotional material had been taken down. The counsel for the streaming platform had told the High Court that the producers had decided to change its title to something that would more accurately reflect its narrative and intent.
The petitioner in this matter had claimed that the title was communally offensive, and could cause harm to the dignity and reputation of the Brahmin community.
The High Court bench had disposed of the petition before it, noting that nothing more was required to be adjudicated.
The Uttar Pradesh Police had also filed a first information report against the makers of the film for allegedly hurting public sentiments and disturbing social harmony.
‘Used simply as a colloquial name’
In light of the controversy, Pandey said on February 6 that the film was a fictional police drama, adding that the term “pandat” had been “used simply as a colloquial name for a fictional character”.
The story focused on a character’s actions and choices, and did not comment on or represent any caste, religion or community, the director had said in a statement.
Pandey had also said that in light of the concerns raised about the film, his team had “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”.
Bajpayee had said in a statement that he respected the emotions and concerns shared about the film, adding that he took them seriously. The actor also said that the film was not meant to be a comment about any community.
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