The makers of the upcoming film Ghooskhor Pandat on Thursday told the Supreme Court that its title and all related promotional material have been “unequivocally withdrawn”, PTI reported.
Taking on record an affidavit filed by director Neeraj Pandey, a bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan disposed of a public interest litigation objecting to the film’s title for allegedly defaming the Brahmin community, according to ANI.
Pandey stated in the affidavit that although a new title for the film had not yet been finalised, it would “not be similar to or evocative of” the earlier one. He added that promotional material, posters, trailers and publicity content released under the earlier title had already been withdrawn.
The petition 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.
During a hearing on February 12, the court questioned why a section of society should be denigrated in the name of freedom of expression and directed the filmmakers to change the title. It had also ordered that any material in the film that was offensive to any community should be withdrawn.
On Thursday, the counsel for the petitioner argued that beyond the title change, there should be an assurance that the content of the film would not insult or target any community, India Today reported.
The bench noted that the film was currently at the editing stage and added that the filmmakers had responded positively to the concerns raised. It also noted that once the title was withdrawn, the primary grievance may not survive.
The counsel for the filmmakers submitted that they had not contested the matter on the grounds of free speech and had agreed to change the name to avoid a controversy, India Today reported.
Just 0.2% of readers pay for news. The others don’t care if it dies. You can help make a difference. Support independent journalism – join Scroll now.
We’re not driven by clicks or corporate interests – just honest, independent reporting. Keep us going. Support Scroll today!