FWICE demands 'Ghooskhor Pandat' screening; title change not enough
What's the story
The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has demanded a special screening of the upcoming film Ghooskhor Pandat for the concerned community. This comes after the makers, Neeraj Pandey and Manoj Bajpayee, announced they would change the title of their movie amid protests. However, FWICE president BN Tiwari said merely changing the title is "not enough."
Demands
'We would like to watch the film and understand how...'
Tiwari told Hindustan Times, "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." "The title is derived from the story; that's why we want a screening for the community."
Warning
'If they get it, then we don't have any issue...'
Tiwari further said, "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." "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." He warned of action if the film is released without a prior screening.
Title registration
Makers did not register title with us: Tiwari
Tiwari also claimed that the makers did not register the title 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."
Protests
Film faces political protests in UP, MP
The film's title has also sparked strong political protests in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with members of Brahmin organizations seeking a ban and alleging that the project targets a particular community. In UP, the state government ordered an FIR against the film's director over its title. Effigies of the filmmakers and Bajpayee were burnt at multiple locations. On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court disposed of a petition seeking a stay on the movie.