The Title Change Controversy
Manoj Bajpayee has finally spoken out about the storm surrounding his upcoming Netflix film ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’. The trouble began when the film’s first-look teaser dropped at Netflix India’s 2026 slate event in Mumbai, sparking immediate backlash. An FIR was filed against the makers for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through the title and content. Within days, producer Neeraj Pandey apologized and announced that the title would be changed. All promotional material was pulled for review.
Speaking about the swift response, Manoj revealed, ‘We didn’t expect it. But when it happened, in two days’ time we put out our apology. If anything is offending anyone with that much of intensity, we, as creative people, are always there to mend our ways or correct ourselves.’ The actor added that changing the title doesn’t bother him: ‘I personally feel that the title change is not going to be such a huge thing; we are creative people, we can come up with ten different titles, and they will be equally exciting.’
On Threats and Trolling
The online backlash didn’t stop at the film — it extended to Manoj and his family. But the actor remains unfazed. ‘But I must tell you that when the threats were coming to me, I was also travelling continuously without any fear,’ he said. Rather than anger, he feels empathy: ‘When people are trolling you, abusing you and getting your family into the whole thing, I feel empathy for them.’
Manoj also had sharp words for the current state of social media. ‘I think on social media now people are impatient, and they are eager and desperate to come out with their opinion without even knowing fully about the subject matter,’ he shared. The National Award-winning actor, known for his thoughtful demeanor, said he simply doesn’t have time to argue with such folks. ‘I don’t have that energy and time to argue with people who are that impatient with their opinion or who are not even bothering to educate themselves. Why to argue with them? Don’t get into the mud with the people who like to roll you into the mud.’
What’s ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ About?
Though the title is being revised, the film itself is very much on track. ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ stars Manoj Bajpayee alongside Nushrratt Bharuccha, Saqib Saleem, Akshay Oberoi, and Divya Dutta. Written by Neeraj Pandey and Ritesh Shah, the film marks Shah’s directorial debut. Insiders reveal that ‘Pandat’ was simply a character nickname within the story and was never meant to target any community. The film is set to stream on Netflix later in 2026, though an exact release date hasn’t been announced yet.
Meanwhile, Manoj is keeping busy with other projects and seems unbothered by the noise. His calm, classy response to the whole episode has only won him more respect from fans. After all, as he himself puts it, ‘I’m a person who is very curious for knowledge; I’m a well-educated person, and I don’t have any intention.’ True that, Manoj.