Amid mounting backlash over the title of Neeraj Pandey’s film Ghooskhor Pandat, the makers have told the Delhi High Court that the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer will get a new title, following FIRs, protests and calls for a ban. However, the controversy is far from over. Weighing in on the matter, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) president BN Tiwari said that merely changing the title is “not enough”.
FWICE demands screening before release
In an interview with Hindustan Times, BN Tiwari reacted to the recent update, and demanded that the filmmakers hold a special screening for the concerned community to secure their approval before moving forward. He also warned of action if the makers proceed with the film’s release without holding the screening.
“We are fine with the decision to change the title, but that alone is not enough. We would like to watch the film and understand how the community is depicted, as a title usually stems from the essence of the narrative,” Tiwari tells us.
He continues, “We are shocked and surprised that such big names involving Neeraj and Manoj did this, and used a name of the community in the title. Title kahani se hi banta hai aur related hota hai isiliye community ke liye screening honi chaiyeh (The title is derived from the story that’s why we want a screening for the community). The film should not be released without the screening. The makers need to get a go ahead from the community before releasing it. If they get it, then we don’t have any issue with it.”
During the conversation, Tiwari also claims that the makers didn’t get the title registered with the film body. “In fact, I also reached out to other concerned bodies, and they too stated that the title is not registered with them. If they would have got the title registered with us, we would have raised our concerns at that moment only,” he says.
Here, Tiwari warns the makers of action if they go ahead with the release without organising a screening for both the film bodies and the community beforehand.
“Screening dhikhae bina nahi release hogi… Agar makers nahi mante toh non-corporation notice dal denge aur aage unke saath kaam nahi karenge (The film will not be released without a screening. If the makers do not agree, we will issue a non-cooperation notice and will not work with them going forward),” he ends.
All about Ghooskhor Pandat row
Manoj’s film Ghooskhor Pandat, which is directed by Neeraj Pandey and Ritesh Shah, sparked controversy over its title after it was announced at a Netflix event earlier this month. The film’s title has also triggered strong political protests in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with members of Brahmin organisations demanding a ban and alleging that the project targets a particular community.
In Uttar Pradesh, the state government ordered the registration of an FIR against the film’s director over the title. Effigies of the filmmakers and actor Manoj Bajpayee were burnt at multiple locations. A writ petition has also been filed before the Delhi High Court by Mahender Chaturvedi through Advocate Vineet Jindal seeking a stay on the release of Ghooskhor Pandat.
It prompted creator Neeraj Pandey and lead star Manoj Bajpayee to issue a clarification, saying the intention was not to cause hurt and that they are withdrawing all the publicity material related to the movie. After the backlash, the ruling BJP Party also shared that the Centre had asked the OTT platform to take down the teaser and other promotional material.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the makers of the project have decided to change the name of the series. The makers shared the update during a hearing at Delhi High Court.
During the proceedings, Netflix told Delhi High Court that the producers of the project have taken a “conscious decision” in light of the concerns that has arisen to change the movie’s title to an alternate title that reflects the film’s narrative and intent.
The submission was made in the petition filed by Mahender Chaturvedi seeking a stay of the movie. Taking note of the submission, the court disposed of the petition, after Chaturvedi’s counsel submitted that his grievance only pertained to the movie’s title, which now stood resolved following the decision.
