Manoj Bajpayee’s Ghooskhor Pandat returns as Gajab Raat after controversy

Manoj Bajpayee’s upcoming Netflix thriller is back, this time under a new name. The film, originally titled Ghooskhor Pandat, has reportedly been renamed Gajab Raat, and its trailer is expected to arrive today. The change follows months of controversy that began when the original title was unveiled at a streaming event earlier this year.

The Ghooskhor Pandat controversy explained

The Gajab Raat trailer is the first major promotional release since the makers took down all material carrying the earlier title. Directed by Ritesh Shah, who also wrote it with Neeraj Pandey, the film is described as a one-night thriller. It follows Ajay Dikshit, a corrupt and morally bankrupt police officer, whose plans are upended by an unexpected encounter that pulls him into a chain of events far bigger than he anticipated.

The ensemble cast includes Nushrratt Bharuccha, Saqib Saleem, Akshay Oberoi, Divya Dutta and Shraddha Das alongside Bajpayee. The first-look teaser had hinted at a darkly comic, morally grey character, and the trailer is expected to expand on that tone.

The original title drew immediate criticism from groups who said that pairing “Pandat”, a word associated with the Brahmin community and priests, with “ghooskhor” (bribe-taker) was derogatory. Protests followed, and legal petitions were filed.

In February, the streaming platform told the Delhi High Court that the producers had made a conscious decision to change the title to one that better reflected the film’s narrative. Shortly afterwards, the Supreme Court reportedly directed the makers to change the name, observing that the title denigrated a section of society, and asked them to disclose the new title and changes made.

Neeraj Pandey had said the film was a fictional cop drama and that the term was used as a colloquial name for a character, not a reference to any community. Bajpayee said he respected the concerns raised and took them seriously.

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